The Fifth Round of Testing will Produce More Videos Than Ever

Fans of California Mobile Testing videos have something to look forward to this round: More Videos Than Ever Before. The glamour of mobile testing, as shown by this above classic by David Hugens, will be amply demonstrated and uploaded to our blog. Mobile testing will no longer be an abstract concept as the sights and sounds of our mobile testers' experiences are streamed into the homes of folks all over the state. The mobile wireless network is being deployed and improved as we speak. Watch as our mobile testers document those improvements featuring the distinctive sights and sounds of California.

Mobile Testing will Begin April 14

For all those mobile testing fans who were expecting to see our mobile testers on those California roads this Monday, I am sorry to report that our fifth round of mobile testing will be delayed one week. This will allow time for some of that snow to melt on those mountain country roads. And what developments will this latest round bring? Will Verizon continued to expand its reach into some of the more isolated sections of the state? Will Sprint continue building up its network and speed to contest T-Mobile and AT&T? And how will all these dramatic increases in mobile coverage effect our state's California Advanced Services Fund subsidy program? Stay tuned.

Fifth Round of Mobile Testing to begin April 7

Our intrepid mobile testers will be hitting the road April and May testing mobile broadband speeds in 1,990 locations all over the state. As you can see from the map below we will be covering every nook and cranny in the state and the state of California does have some isolated places, like the northeast where mobile broadband has not made its appearance. (A white dot indicates no service, although these dots are averages and so there may be service by one provider in many of the white dot areas.)

In the first four rounds of testing we have seen a steady increase in both coverage and speed for all four providers, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. What will we find in the fifth round? Will coverage continue to improve? Let the testing begin!

In battle of the speed tests, CalSPEED replicates real user experience

After two weeks of testing comparing the CPUC speed test app CalSPEED with the FCC speed test app and a private speed test app, Ookla, we are finding that CalSPEED consistently measures lower speeds and higher latency. We believe this is more reflective of user's real world experience and a better measure of how the providers, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon, operate their networks. The stakes are high in this experiment because telecommunications companies are touting mobile wireless as the broadband wave of the future, but how reliable is mobile wireless and is it a true substitute for a fixed wireline broadband connection?

CalSPEED goes head to head against FCC and Ookla Speed test apps

Does the CPUC's CalSPEED provide a more real world experience for mobile broadband users than speed tests conducted by Ookla, a private company, or the  FCC? We are conducting an experiment comparing the three tests to find out. What is the added value that CalSPEED brings to mobile testing? We feel our testing product is more accurate than the others and what evidence do we have for that? Our test measures a higher latency for mobile providers. The higher latency is important because it questions the readiness of mobile wireless broadband for the transition to ip and for providing VOIP. If latency measurements are shown to be low it means mobile wireless is ready. If latency measurements are shown to be high, it means mobile wireless is not ready to provide reliable broadband services.

Important Message for CalSPEED Users

Attention CalSPEED users! When you are conducting a mobile broadband speed test in an area which has no service, make sure you follow up that test with one in a location that has mobile broadband service. In order for the CPUC to receive your unserved result, you need to follow up your unserved test with one in a served location. By following this instruction, you can the CPUC increase the number of crowdsourced results we use in our broadband mapping program.

Testers Log 45,228 Miles in latest round

From beaches, to the cities, to the mountains to the desert, the CPUC's mobile testing crew logged 45,228 miles testing 1,990 points around the state. All providers AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint made big gains both in coverage and speed. Stay tuned to find out more about what we have found.