Ookla finds wide variance in Singapore 5G call setup times

Singtel’s VoNR was 12% faster and StarHub 32% slower than VoLTE.

Singapore’s telecom operators recorded widely varying 5G voice call setup times, with Ookla’s testing showing that deployment maturity can outweigh the benefits of newer voice technology.

Singtel recorded the fastest voice over new radio (VoNR) performance in Singapore, with a median call setup time of 1.07 seconds in nationwide testing conducted in the second half (H2) of 2025.

The result was faster than its voice over LTE (VoLTE) median of 1.22 seconds and ranked as the fastest VoNR result outside South Korea amongst the operators studied.

More than 90% of Singtel’s VoNR samples met Ookla’s two-second call setup target, whilst the service also recorded tight variance in setup times.

StarHub, however, recorded a median VoNR setup time of 1.82 seconds, 32% slower than its VoLTE performance.

Only 57% of its VoNR samples met the two-second target, whilst its 95th percentile reached 6.33 seconds.

By comparison, nearly 80% of StarHub’s VoLTE samples met the two-second target, with a 95th-percentile setup time of 2.38 seconds.

M1 recorded a 3.62-second median VoNR call setup time, 43.5% lower than its 6.41-second VoLTE median.

“Its VoNR footprint also exhibited extreme tails in testing, with high variance potentially indicative of suboptimal policy rules, incomplete coverage, or signalling bottlenecks,” Ookla said.

Nearly three-quarters of M1’s tested samples used VoNR.

The findings form part of Ookla’s analysis of controlled testing across eight markets, including Singapore, in H2 2025.

The study found a global median call setup time of 1.96 seconds for VoNR, compared with 1.87 seconds for VoLTE.

Ookla said VoLTE remains highly competitive because operators have had years to refine signalling, quality-of-service parameters, and handover procedures. As a result, deploying VoNR does not inherently translate into faster or more consistent calls.

The testing showed that only six of eight operators with meaningful VoNR and VoLTE volumes connected calls faster using VoNR.

“The more meaningful divergence emerges in the distribution tails and in the variance between operators, where deployment maturity rather than technology generation likely explains the performance spread,” Ookla said.

For operators, VoNR can eventually keep calls entirely on 5G standalone networks, avoiding EPS fallback and reducing inter-RAT complexity.

However, Ookla said the business case depends on factors including 5G standalone coverage, device and tariff penetration, and the maturity of IMS voice services across mobility, inter-RAT handovers, emergency calling, and roaming.