By Bryan Darr, Vice President of Government Affairs at Ookla
Note: This blog was produced under WIA’s Innovation and Technology Council (ITC). The ITC is the forum for forecasting the future of the wireless industry. Participants explore developments in the wider wireless industry, from 5G network monetization trends and streamlining infrastructure deployment to future spectrum needs and cell site power issues. The group is publishing a series of thought-leadership pieces throughout 2024.
Data and intelligence are changing the way every business operates around the world. In the wireless industry, data tools are invaluable for targeting infrastructure investment and ultimately expanding broadband access to more people.
Consumers are familiar with the power of data to quantify their wireless experience. More than 11 million people hit the go button on Ookla’s Speedtest application each day to get a real-time, accurate view of how their network or device is performing. More than 600 million people have downloaded the app globally. Further, Downdetector by Ookla helps consumers understand whether the issues they are experiencing are isolated or impacting other users as well.
Applied more broadly, network performance data can have substantial impacts on investment activity, network planning and optimization, and even government grants and funding. Ultimately, network-related optimization and funding decisions can best be made with ground truth data about where networks are performing well and where they need improvement.
With embedded devices and crowdsourcing, Ookla tests a wide variety of both wireless and fixed network performance metrics, including throughput, latency and jitter. On wireless networks, Ookla evaluates signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, signal quality, and other critical metrics. It even gathers cell site IDs to correlate with the data. More than two billion readings are collected each day, allowing Ookla to paint a true picture of network availability and performance.
Through its RootMetrics subsidiary, Ookla drive tests the top 125 metropolitan areas in the United States every six months to gather a true representation of what a device experiences when accessing mobile networks. This is far more accurate than what coverage map models might show. These insights can be leveraged by a variety of enterprises to improve the wireless experience for end users.
For instance, operators can use this data to see where their competitors are outperforming them, where network issues might be causing them to lose subscribers, and ultimately where network performance can be improved. Carrier customer service agents can also use this data when a subscriber calls to report service problems in a specific location and troubleshoot whether the issue is related to the network or to the specific device or user.
For asset owners, network performance data provides a useful view into the network to see where opportunities for collocation might generate additional revenue from an existing site, or to see if a new tower build could attract multiple tenants. Throughout the 40-year history of the industry, carriers and tower owners have built assets hoping additional tenants would come, but not knowing if or when they would. Now, data can provide extraordinary insight into whether a newly built site is likely to attract multiple operators, which changes the economics significantly. If you have multiple opportunities to put tenants on a site, your investment has a much better chance of paying off quickly.
More recently, federal, state, and local government agencies have been interested in seeing real-world network performance data as they work to distribute broadband grants, including $42.5 billion in BEAD funding. At least 35 state broadband offices have been using Ookla’s data to understand where broadband is and is not available today so they can target the areas most in need of improved connectivity. Broadband maps depict what internet service providers claim they deliver in a given area, but states have the ability to challenge those maps, and this data is invaluable when they meet with ISPs to develop coverage strategies.
The only BEAD dollars available at the time of this writing are those that states are using to set up their broadband offices, hire consulting firms, challenge the existing federal map, and get their award plans into place. There is currently a heavy focus on fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments but wireless stands to benefit as well. Many states did not receive enough money to cover every home, particularly those states with a significant number of remote locations.
As these dollars start rolling out, fixed wireless services will be the most practical means to connect the majority of the remote homes. Satellite service will cover the most isolated. Just as importantly, understanding where mobile networks are in need of additional investment can help states optimize broadband deployments, which some states have as one of their goals.
Recognizing that BEAD funding will target areas with no current terrestrial broadband service, many rural areas will still, in the end, wind up with only a single provider offering fiber or cable services. With the increasing popularity of fixed wireless access (FWA), connectivity from cellular operators and wireless ISPs will bring needed competition to improve consumer choice and affordability.
The venue and in-building space is also discovering the value of network intelligence. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of people gather and are uploading photographs and videos and downloading information about players at sporting events. Meanwhile someone is trying to call the babysitter to check in. It really puts a lot of stress on these networks. 5G has done extraordinary things to allow much more traffic to be handled in these places, but it still has to be tested, understood and optimized as demand fluctuates.
This ever-increasing demand for data coupled with the expectation of fast and reliable connectivity will pressure regulators for more spectrum resources for operators. A recent Ookla report, for instance, showed a clear correlation between the release of additional mid-band spectrum, 5G performance and consumer sentiment for 5G networks, with all three national wireless providers benefitting over the past 6 months. This sends a clear message to the FCC and other regulators, of the benefits of allocating additional spectrum for cellular use.
At Ookla, conducting analyses like the one above empowers these organizations that supply connectivity with essential information to help them shape and optimize their networks. Our data also gives voice to the real-world experiences of people and systems that rely on those networks every day. You can learn more about our data, insights, and read up on our latest analyses at ookla.com.
The post How Network Performance Data Informs Operators, Owners and Investors appeared first on Wireless Infrastructure Association.
Read the full story .