Network data analysis shows that Fenway Park scores a home run
DULLES, VA – JULY 27, 2015 – Baseball season is in full swing, the popcorn and hotdogs are flowing free, and we’re just passed the All Star Break. Fans are gathering in masses to the nation’s baseball stadiums, with Fenway Park rounding out the top five most attended in the nation. Global Wireless Solutions, Inc. (GWS), a leading and independent network benchmarking firm, conducted tests at the highly trafficked Fenway Park to determine what kind of mobile performance fans can expect during their visit, and today announced that the park received a strong overall result, with attendees able to upload selfies in as little as four seconds during a game.
Overall Network Performance at Fenway Park
A recent study showed that 44 percent of US mobile phone users planned to go to a live sporting event just this past year, with baseball, football and basketball being the most popular. To ensure fans can expect the best performance from their carrier of choice at these events, GWS tested network performance across the four major carriers-AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon-in June during a Boston Red Sox home game against the Oakland Athletics.
The results showed that regardless of whether park attendees wanted to snap a game day selfie or download “Sweet Caroline” to celebrate a big win, they would have a positive experience accessing the stadium’s overall network. Those wishing to show off their game day selfies at the stadium were able to upload their photos in just four seconds on average, throughout the entirety of the game. During the game when the crowd was likely to be active on their mobile data networks, tasks in general showed some signs of slowing down. Although, upload speeds remained fairly consistent for fans looking to post photos and upload videos from the stadium. Attendees looking to download game day songs or videos experienced speeds of 11 and 15 seconds on average, respectively, several seconds slower than before or after the game.
Paul Carter, CEO of GWS, commented:“Looking at the data, it’s clear that the networks at Fenway Park have taken the location seriously and worked diligently to ensure that consumers can enjoy a seamless experience at the stadium. Mobile phones have become an extension of ourselves, and with that comes the expectation that we should be able to do everything quickly and easily from our devices – from accessing tickets to uploading photos to checking in via social media at sporting events. Because of this expectation, we wanted to see if the networks were strong enough to make it past the Green Monster and provide robust service to thousands of sports fans – and turns out, based on our testing, consumers can expect a near pain-free experience across the four major carriers.”
Individual Carriers Were All Winners
Once broken down, the four major carriers performed well in establishing strong networks to connect Fenway Park’s patrons, with AT&T showing the highest mean throughputs for the 4MB file upload tasks both before and after the game. Verizon, on the other hand netted the highest mean throughputs for download tasks.
Pre-game Performance
| TASK | AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon |
| 2MB File Upload | 8.4 | 1.5 | 7.3 | 8.4 |
| 4MB File Download | 5.9 | 1.7 | 11.1 | 15.0 |
| 4MB File Upload | 10.0 | 2.1 | 6.4 | 5.7 |
| YouTube | 1.3 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.1 | |
| 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
All figures presented in Mbps
During game Performance
| TASK | AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon |
| 2MB File Upload | 4.7 | 1.5 | 7.7 | 8.3 |
| 4MB File Download | 1.4 | 1.8 | 6.8 | 10.6 |
| 4MB File Upload | 4.1 | 1.8 | 9.1 | 8.9 |
| YouTube | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.9 | |
| 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
All figures presented in Mbps
Post-game Performance
| TASK | AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon |
| 2MB File Upload | 8.2 | 1.2 | 7.6 | 4.9 |
| 4MB File Download | 7.8 | 4.2 | 10.6 | 18.1 |
| 4MB File Upload | 11.4 | 1.5 | 9.1 | 5.2 |
| YouTube | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.2 | |
| 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
All figures presented in Mbps
Methodology
GWS conducted this series of tests in order to evaluate network performance at Fenway Park. The tests were conducted using Rohde & Schwarz’s SwissQual QualiPoc Freerider. The Freerider-a portable benchmarking system-was equipped with Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphones. The Freerider was operated by a trained GWS engineer who conducted the assessment tests and obtained upload and download speeds from the packet data networks of Tier 1 carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon). Testing was conducted on June 7, 2015.
About Global Wireless Solutions, Inc.
Global Wireless Solutions, Inc. defines the industry standard for network benchmarking, analysis and testing. Working with some of the world’s largest wireless network providers, GWS offers standardized, high-quality network data and engineering analysis to its customers through a suite of benchmarking products and services, including drive, venue, and in-building testing.
Firmly rooted in a deep understanding of network engineering, GWS provides best-in-class, turnkey solutions to help customers better understand overall network performance as today’s wireless networks grow and evolve.
Founded in 1996, GWS is headquartered in Dulles, VA. At last count, GWS has driven more than 9 million data collection miles for its customers. For more information, visit www.gwsolutions.com and follow us on Twitter at @gwsolutionsinc.
Media Contact:
Global Wireless Solutions, Inc.
703-661-7000
