Robustness of the mobile broadband - third annual report from CRNA
CRNA Report on the Robustness of Mobile Networks

Robustness of the mobile broadband - third annual report from CRNA

Published:

Simula's Center for Resilient Networks and Applications (CRNA) performs long-term measurements of Norwegian mobile broadband networks. The measurements form the basis for an annual report on the stability and performance of these networks. The third annual report focusing on the user-experienced robustness of the mobile broadband experience has now been released.

This year’s report shows that the positive development in the experienced stability of mobile broadband networks, which we reported last year, has continued in 2015, says Ahmed Elmokashfi, responsible for the report. The measurements show less packet loss, better application performance, and more importantly a sharp reduction in outages that affect a large number of users simultaneously.

A major addition in this year’s report is measurements of mobile broadband coverage along the main railway lines in Norway. In general, there are large gaps in coverage, for example more than half of the line connecting Trondheim and Bodø is without coverage. The observed patchy coverage degrades users experience significantly. The failure rate when downloading a file can be tens of times higher compared to stationary subscriptions. Telenor and Telia have a comparable 3G coverage, but Telenor has a markedly better 4G coverage. Despite differences in 4G coverage, Telia and Telenor show a comparable application level stability and download speeds. Both operators have been rapidly building up their 4G coverage in 2015.

The report (in Norwegian) is available here. For further information about the report, please contact Ahmed Elmokashfi.