GWS Celebrates NYE By Putting Times Square Mobile Networks to the Test

We all spend a lot of time talking and writing about 5G and the Internet of Things. These conversations typically center around the ultra-low latency, high bandwidth, and amazing experiences they will offer. But we often fail to mention the simple fact that it’s sometimes difficult to get a consistent, low-latency connection on our mobile devices today.

That’s especially true in busy urban environments and during large gatherings.

To offer a reminder of that, Global Wireless Solutions put mobile networks to the test. It visited Times Square on New Year’s Eve with the GWS Event-o-Meter to see how well mobile networks stood up to heavy traffic demands. And the GWS Event-o-Meter delivered a score of 77 out of 100.

GWS CEO and founder Dr. Paul Carter explained the results. “Networks were working hard to handle all the traffic, kind of like getting through the Holland Tunnel at rush hour,” he said. “Even though providers took extra steps, people most likely experienced some delay in connecting with friends and family when the clock struck midnight.”

The Event-o-Meter was based on the Global Wireless Solutions OneScore evaluation process. That measures overall performance, accounting for customer experience and coverage, data, reliability, video, and voice metrics.

The company used the OneScore-powered Event-o-Meter before, during, and after the ball dropped. Three GWS data collection teams employed SwissQual QualiPoc on Samsung Galaxy S9 devices to measure tier 1 mobile network performance. They collected nearly 13,000 voice and data samples, which were then aggregated to create the 77 OneScore rating.

To put the score into perspective, GWS said that 2018 Mobile World Congress in Los Angeles received a OneScore of 89. The 2018 Boston Marathon came in at 86. And Donald Trump’s inauguration got a 75 OneScore.