Having trouble getting connected on the NYC subway? New data suggests you probably ride the 6 Line!

RESEARCH FROM GWS HIGHLIGHTS THE BEST AND WORST PERFORMING LINES FOR MOBILE CONNECTIVITY, WITH THE Q LINE REIGNING SUPREME

DULLES, VA – AUGUST 9, 2015 – New York City subway riders rely on their smartphones for everything from directions to entertainment, to telling the boss they are running late during their daily commutes. Today Global Wireless Solutions (GWS), the leading and independent network benchmarking firm, releases its latest NYC subway testing data that reveals riders of the Q line have been awarded bragging rights – with that line achieving the best overall service on mobile phones.

BEST AND WORST PERFORMING LINES

 

Current use of the NYC subway is at highest in the past 60 years with more than 1.7 billion riders each year. To meet the growing needs of these travelers, NYC and Transit Wireless have been rolling out WiFi systems in stations, in tandem with DAS networks via the major mobile carriers. GWS tested 67 stations where Transit Wireless has deployed, making up a significant portion of the 21 subway lines in Manhattan. In doing so, they were able to determine exactly what kind of mobile and WiFi service commuters can expect, and settle once and for all which line is best.

Dr. Paul Carter, CEO at Global Wireless Solutions, commented:
“The City of New York has not been shy with its intentions to dramatically increase WiFi and mobile connectivity for city dwellers and visitors over the past few years. In particular, it has begun an ambitious station-by-station deployment of WiFi and select DAS networks with help from Transit Wireless in an effort to connect the millions of subway riders every day looking for service. Our carefully controlled tests examined a variety of metrics, including upload and download speeds and task attempts and completions, to determine just how successful this rollout has been so far and which lines commuters can expect to have the easiest experience getting online.”

BEST AND WORST LINES FOR TRANSIT WIRELESS WIFI

NYC and Transit Wireless anticipate a complete rollout of WiFi services to all 279 stations making up the city’s subway system by 2017. To that end, GWS specifically tested stations where Transit Wireless has deployed to further analyze the success of this rollout so far and determine which stations commuters could expect to successfully connect to the city’s public transit WiFi.

Dr. Carter continues: “Our data shows a number of trends that inform what type of mobile experience commuters are having throughout the borough of Manhattan. For instance, those traveling between Midtown and lower Manhattan along the Q, R and N lines are likely to experience solid connectivity throughout their journey, as all three lines appeared in the top five best overall performing lines. If riders are heading uptown north of 57th Street, they will want to jump on the B or A lines for a regular and reliable connection. Unfortunately, if those uptown riders are looking to connect on their Upper East Side commute, they will be left wanting as the 4, 5 and 6 lines all appear in the top five worst performing lines overall.”

Additional findings include:

• The 4 line was by far the worst performing line for WiFi connections, with just 2 out of 22 stations on the line (9%) having WiFi available
• Additionally, the testing found that of the 67 stations where Transit Wireless is supposed to have deployed WiFi, 6 of the sites had no detectable signal when GWS attempted to tests its performance
  • GWS’ tests were able to detect some standalone mobile data at these stations, however, which might suggest that these stations are still in the process of becoming fully equipped WiFi stations
• It is important to note that the NYC subway is making progress in its efforts to deliver connectivity to riders.
  • Overall task success reliability (TSR) was 95% with WiFi and 80% on mobile alone.
  • Upload speeds were higher overall on WiFi (7.8 Mbps) than mobile alone (5.6 Mbps). Surprisingly, downloads were the opposite overall and slightly higher on mobile (12.8 Mbps) than WiFi (8.7 Mbps)

Methodology

GWS conducted this series of tests in order to evaluate network performance of the NYC subway system. 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 June – July 2015 at all stations and/or platforms with active Transit Wireless deployments in Manhattan up through 125th Street.

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.

[email protected]

703-661-7000