NEW YORK – December 15, 2016

For the third year in a row, independent benchmarking company Global Wireless Solutions (GWS) has released its
findings determining Wi-Fi and overall cellular performance across the New York City Subway System in Manhattan. The 4 and 6 are the best performing lines when considering both overall data and social media performance, while the J and Z lines were among the worst performers in this year’s test.

For cellular performance across major mobile carriers, riders can expect speeds averaging 11.0 Mbps (megabits per second) in Manhattan when viewing typical online content on their smartphones (for example, checking out small videos, pictures, attachments in emails, listening to music, etc.). This represents a 36% increase over last year’s speed. For Wi-Fi, the subway has seen immense improvements, clocking in at an average speed of 16.7 Mbps, doubling last
year’s speed.

The lines were ranked using OneScore™, a performance metric developed by GWS that considers both in-depth network testing data and an understanding of how consumers are actually using their mobile devices (based on a third-party survey vetting the sentiments of 5,000 US adult consumers). GWS ranked the lines according to overall data performance (considering reliability of completed tasks and average throughputs for all data-related actions) and social media performance (measuring reliability of completed tasks and speed related to social media activities such as uploading a photo to Instagram, posting to Facebook, sending a Snapchat).

GWS tested subway stations in Manhattan south of 125^th St. that claim to have network connectivity, per Transit Wireless, the mobile networking firm currently supplying subway stations across New York City with Wi-Fi. In total, GWS tested 104 active subway stations, a 55 percent increase in the number of active stations tested last year.

The total rankings are:

Using OneScore, GWS also identified specific stations with corresponding subway lines across Manhattan that have the overall best and worst mobile performances. They are:

“It’s not uncommon to see subway riders on their phone struggling to send an email, load a news article or check their Facebook page not realizing that their connection has become intermittent or disappeared altogether,” said Dr. Paul Carter, CEO and founder of Global Wireless Solutions. “This year is our third annual test of Manhattan subway stations while Transit Wireless has been outfitting platforms with wireless connectivity and we are seeing a marked
improvement. This annual evaluation is important for us given its impact on New Yorkers over the years, helping them understand where on the subway they can reliably use their phones, and where they can’t.”

Performance over the years

Last year, GWS reported that the best-connected lines on the NYC Subway were, by top five rankings, the Q, B, R, N and F. In this year’s report, only one of the best performing lines from last year made the top five rankings—the F. The upset in rankings this year versus last year’s report results from more subway stations coming online over the year, increasing overall connectivity for lines 4, 6, 5, F, 1 and M.

GWS sets out to vet mobile performance of networks, keenly looking at mobile services consumers value most, at popular venues and locations across the world. To read more about these noted projects including recent network evaluations involving Florida’s Disney World, the United Kingdom, and Rio de Janeiro’s summer games and tourist hotspots, please visit: http://davidf238.sg-host.com/news/

Methodology and notes to editors

GWS conducted these series of tests to evaluate mobile network performance of the New York City Subway stations in Manhattan south of 125^th St. Only stations, per Transit Wireless’ website as of August 2016, that claim to have mobile connectivity were tested. Over 70,000 task tests were conducted to evaluate network performance of Tier 1 US carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon) and public Wi-Fi. Testing was conducted between October 3 ^rd and October 21^st, 2016. The tests were conducted using the GWS Mobile Diagnostic App running on five separate Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphones.

About Global Wireless Solutions, Inc.

Global Wireless Solutions, Inc. defines the industry standard for network benchmarking, analysis and testing. Its proprietary OneScore™ network ranking combines high-level network testing data with real world network usage scenarios to make the results of testing relatable and easy to understand. Working with some of the world’s largest wireless network providers, GWS offers standardized, high-quality network data and engineering analysis through a suite of benchmarking products, services, and 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 10.5 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

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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

The post Having trouble getting connected on the NYC subway? New data suggests you probably ride the 6 Line! appeared first on GWS.

DULLES, VA – June 30, 2014 –In a test conducted by mobile benchmarking firm Global Wireless Solutions, Inc. (GWS) across major subway lines in Manhattan with the highest ridership, GWS identified how well these lines support wireless coverage across the major carriers: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. While it’s known that the New York underground is currently undergoing upgrades, certain lines are seeing better mobile coverage than others

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York serves more than 15 million commuters and tourists per year, across 5,000 square miles of track. Overall, MTA commuters take more than 2.6 billion trips annually, making New York’s subway system one of the busiest worldwide. These commuters are also active mobile device users that are heavily engaged in texting, social media, e-mail, web browsing and video streaming. Because these activities rely on mobile network performance, it’s essential that the quality of coverage remains optimal in order to power consumer mobile activity.

“New York is globally recognized as a beacon of commerce and consumer activity,” said Dr. Paul Carter, president and CEO of GWS. “With this in mind, we were keen to evaluate the current network strength of the city’s pulse: the subway. As mobile activity is arguably among the most consumer-forward technologies, it’s vital to have this access on hand so that the industry can recognize just how far we have to go in meeting consumer needs and demands. After all, it’s 2014. Consumers simply want to know why they can’t use their phones while on the train despite existing in a time of rapid evolution across technology.”

Ranking Mobile Data Performance Across MTA Subway Trains

1. 7 train (Times Square to Grand Central) – 74 percent success rate
2. E train (50th Street to Lexington Ave/53rd Street) – 52 percent success rate
3. 6 train (28th St. to Grand Central) – 35 percent success rate
4. B, D trains (Columbus Circle to Grand St.) – 23 percent success rates
5. 1 train (Columbus Circle to South Ferry) – 20 percent success rate
6. A, C trains (Columbus Circle to Fulton Street) – 16 percent success rates
7. L train (8th Ave to 1st Ave) – 15 percent success rate
8. 2, 3 trains (Chambers St. to Wall St.) – 14 percent success rates
9. J, Z trains (Delancey St. to Broad St.) – 12 percent success rates
10. (Tied) E train (Canal St. to World Trade Center) – 11 percent success rate; N, Q, R trains (Lexington Ave/59th St. to South Ferry) – 11 percent success rates
11. F Train (Lafayette St. to East Broadway) – 8 percent success rate

“We weren’t shocked to see that network coverage success rate was generally low across the board,” said Carter. “The New York subway isn’t yet outfitted for successful coverage, this is known. However, it’s apparent that networks and the MTA alike have a long road ahead of them. With networks currently aiming to improve the quality of coverage across all settings and venues—with carriers bolstering in-flight connectivity in the sky and Amtrak moving to increase Wi-Fi speeds along the Northeast Corridor, as recent examples—subway systems worldwide are long due for a mobile upgrade.”

Methodology

GWS conducted this series of tests in order to evaluate the mobile experience while on-board New York’s MTA subway system, across Manhattan’s most-travelled lines. The tests were conducted using Rohde & Schwarz’s SwissQual QualiPoc Freerider. The Freerider—a portable benchmarking system—was equipped with a combination of four Samsung Galaxy S III and S IV Smartphones. The Freerider was operated by a trained GWS engineer who conducted the assessment tests and obtained performance measurements from the packet data networks of Tier 1 carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon). Testing was conducted between May 5 and May 8, 2014.

About Global Wireless Solutions, Inc.

Global Wireless Solutions, Inc. (www.gwsolutions.com) defines the industry standard for network benchmarking, analysis and testing. Working with some of the world’s largest wireless network providers, Global Wireless Solutions offers standardized, high-quality network data and engineering analysis to its customers through a suite of benchmarking products, including drive testing, in-building testing and App testing.

Firmly rooted in a deep understanding of network engineering, Global Wireless Solutions 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, Global Wireless Solutions is headquartered in Dulles, VA. At last count, Global Wireless Solutions has driven more than 8 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

The post A Mobile State of Mind: Global Wireless Solutions, Inc. Benchmarks Mobile Networks Across New York Subway System appeared first on GWS.