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]]>This is the case with many closely-watched live happenings around the world, from awards shows to music festivals. If you’ve ever tried tweeting a photo or uploading a Facebook video during a concert, you probably know the pain of a slowed-down connection.
These marquee events are a great reminder that our mobile networks are not always equipped to handle large data usage in a specific area. Take for example Monday’s Boston Marathon, which attracted about 500,000 people to the annual running event, and no doubt put tremendous pressure on the city’s mobile towers.
According to Global Wireless Solutions Event-O-Meter, which sets out to measure mobile network performance at national events, the service at the Boston Marathon was just “reasonable.” The firm tests the consumer connectivity experience when mobile networks are trying to accommodate heavy traffic at places like Times Square during New Year’s Eve and New Orleans during Mardi Gras, which tend to take a beating when attendants rush to upload their latest Insta Stories.
In Boston, mobile network providers had a OneScore of 76 on Monday, or “a C in terms of network performance,” the firm announced, which makes it an average performance for an event of its size, “although not as high as last year’s Boston Marathon score of 86.” The report did find that 100 percent of phone calls were made successfully, though video uploads took a slower-than-average 12 seconds and selfies needed about six seconds to reach followers, slower than other major events recently tested by GWS.
And while the networks “were able to hold their own” fairly well during the running event, the sheer amount of social media usage throughout the day is a sign there’s still much needed improvement in mobile network technology.
The good news is that the onslaught of faster, 5G networks popping up nationwide will likely bump that C grade higher in the coming years.
“It’s clear that the network operators are strongly competing in their own head-to-head race to 5G deployment; we can see the improvements and additions in advanced features in Boston over last year’s marathon—edging the networks closer and closer to the 5G finish line,” explained Dr. Paul Carter, CEO and founder of Global Wireless Solutions.
And technology is expected to go beyond 5G to provide mobile customers with a robust live event experience.
“It’s more than just meeting expectations, it’s about the future of digital experiences,” Greg Dorai, Cisco’s vice president of wireless product management for enterprise networking, told Observer. “Sports fans are voracious consumers of content and passionate in sharing that in the digital space. While venues may meet expectations now, there is often frustration and limited bandwidth.”
This is where upcoming technology like 5G and Wi-Fi 6 can help, Dorai explained, allowing for an almost unlimited sharing of photos, videos and other content.
“Imagine being at the New York City Marathon but having a virtual reality view of the finish line on your phone at the same time,” Dorai said. This is just one of many digital experience possibilities that faster networks can help provide large event attendees, as well as those watching at home.
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]]>Given that roughly 500,000 people attended the Boston Marathon and watched the race – there was a lot of stress on the mobile networks to deliver those pics and videos. We tested the entire length of the marathon course to find out which network operator could keep up with the flood of mobile content that was exchanged between spectators and their social communities.
The objective when testing is to capture the consumer experience – to test in a way that best reflects how people use their phones. In particular, we evaluate network operator performance in terms of completing everyday voice and data tasks as well as the speed at which the data related tasks can be completed. At the Boston Marathon, this translated into specific tests involving video performance, voice quality and reliability, as well as data throughput and reliability.
The tests we conducted ranged from making voice calls to streaming YouTube videos to posting on Facebook; and we also varied the file size so we could simulate posting or sending Instagram selfies, Snaps and Facebook Messenger video messages. We tested along the entire route of the marathon; we also tested before the marathon and we hung out at the finish line during the pouring rain on the day of the race itself. Overall, we conducted over 9,000 voice and data tests.
To make sense of the data and present it in a way that is useful to consumers, we ranked the operators’ performance using our OneScore methodology. Our methodology factors in the network testing data combined with an understanding of how consumers use their mobile devices and what’s important to them (and that’s based on consumer research).
So, what did we find? We were impressed by AT&T’s performance. They finished at the top in every OneScore ranking. They finished first in video streaming performance; they tied with T-Mobile for data speed and overall data performance; and tied with T-Mobile and Verizon in our social media OneScore ranking. In addition, all operators scored equally in terms of OneScore network reliability.
It’s also worth noting that T-Mobile had the fastest upload speeds when sending selfies over the network and when posting content to Facebook. In addition, we noticed that network operators were using advanced LTE features to help manage the large volume of traffic. AT&T, for example, deployed four channel carrier aggregation (4CA) while the other carriers utilized 3CA. Operators also utilized 256 QAM and two and four-way MIMO.
To find out more you can read our press release and other media coverage here.
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]]>GWS undertook real-world testing that focused on simulating typical consumer behavior before and during the marathon, such as posting or sending Instagram photos, Snaps and Facebook Messenger messages to loved ones, as well as streaming and uploading video and making voice calls. To get this insight, GWS tested the mobile networks’ data throughput (speed), data reliability, video reliability, voice quality and voice reliability.
The data collected was then ranked using GWS OneScore, a performance metric developed by GWS that considers both in-depth network testing data and an understanding of how consumers are using their mobile devices. GWS tested the carrier network performance across the entire 26.2 mile marathon route including collection from start to finish, testing at one mile intervals, and at the all-important finish line.
Key findings included:
Methodology:
Over 9,000 voice and data tests were conducted along the Boston Marathon route. The race route (26.2 miles) was tested using SwissQual’s QualiPoc platform in combination with Samsung S8 devices. GWS network testing specialists collected along the entire route and conducted testing at each mile marker and the finish line. The tests evaluated the performance of Tier 1 carrier networks (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon) in terms of completing everyday tasks (such as uploading a video, sending a Snapchat, making a voicecall, etc.) and the speed at which the data related tasks can be completed.
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, services, and OneMeasure diagnostic apps that includes 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 11 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
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