How Crowdsourcing Helps You Find Network Issues with Almost Zero Budget? This is What RantCell did in Africa...

Greetings RantCell Community,

Welcome to another exciting edition of our weekly newsletter! This week, we’re diving into the latest crowd-sourced data captured by RantCell's innovative solution, showcasing key insights into user experiences within a major mobile network. Our case study involves data collected from 10 Android handsets, each carrying the RantCell Lite app. This data was gathered seamlessly users (Field Test Engineers) went about their daily routines, offering an authentic glimpse into network performance.

Case Study: Identifying Mobile Network issues via Crowdsourcing

During this comprehensive study of user experience, we covered an impressive 185 sq. km, collecting a staggering 5 million data samples in just under 20MA days.

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DOWNLOAD SAMPLE CROWDSOURCING SOLUTION REPORT

Here are some of the key observations and insights

Network Type Analysis:

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Data Connectivity:

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  • 3G Network Coverage in the Area: Showcases regions with 3G network presence.

  • Locations Where Users Drop to 2G: Marks areas where users downgraded to 2G.

  • Loss of Network in These Locations: Points out locations with no network coverage.

Most users experienced 4G and 3G connectivity, but 1.55% dropped to 2G, and 9.08% faced data connectivity issues despite network availability. These insights are vital for targeted improvements.

Signal Strength and Quality:

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Red Data Points - Extreme Poor Coverage

  • Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP): 28.76% of data samples were in the -90dBm to -99dBm range, while 41.05% fell between -100dBm to -115dBm

  • Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ): 34.46% of data samples were in the -8 to -9 dBm range, with 48.07% indicating poor coverage areas needing attention.

Throughput Insights:

  • Download Speed: Average download speed was 5.29 Mbps, with most users experiencing good throughput. However, some areas showed poor performance, necessitating further investigation and enhancement.

  • Upload Speed: Upload speeds averaged 5.86 Mbps, with 77.04% of data samples above 0.50 Mbps. Low throughput areas require targeted improvements.

Latency and User Experience:

  • Average LTE Signal Level: -97 dBm (By aggregating millions of samples).

  • Average Latency: 158 ms, impacted by drops to 3G. Reducing this latency is key to improving user experience.

Other KPIs observations

  • Total call statistics for 10 users.

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  • Where was mobile network used?

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    Indoor vs Outdoor coverage averaged measurement. Indoor coverage was somewhat inferior compared to outdoor coverage. However, this is expected in most of the networks.

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  • Majority of the users rely on 4G for data transmission


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    Wi-Fi was barely used, suggesting in the region there is not much infrastructure for Wi-Fi. Mobile phone networks are the primary means of data communication.


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    Uplink and Downlink peak throughput

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Analysis:

Our investigation underscores the essential role of continuous network optimization for seamless connectivity. By leveraging crowd-sourced data, we collected extensive network performance metrics from users' daily movements across the nation. This approach highlights the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of RantCell’s solution compared to traditional, expensive drive tests. The data collected by just 10 users covered significant distances and numerous data points, providing a comprehensive overview of network performance.

Recommendation to Carrier (MNO)

  • Improvement of LTE 4G Coverage: The overall average LTE signal level at -97 dBm for the million samples collected indicates the need for significant enhancement of 4G coverage.

  • Addressing Data Connectivity Issues: In some locations, data connectivity was unavailable, highlighting the need for targeted improvements to ensure that users can reliably use their apps.

  • Preventing Drops to 3G: Users experiencing drops to 3G networks faced data service interruptions, emphasizing the necessity for robust 4G coverage.

  • Enabling VoLTE Service: Implementing VoLTE services can further enhance user experience by improving voice call quality and reducing latency.

RantCell’s crowd-sourced solution enables extensive data collection through the national movement of users, reducing the need for costly drive tests. With data from just 10 users, we achieved significant coverage, demonstrating the efficiency of our approach. This method offers commercial benefits by cutting costs and enhancing network reliability through real-time insights. Network operators can address coverage gaps and connectivity issues effectively, resulting in improved user satisfaction and network performance.

Insights and Usefulness for Network Operators:

RantCell’s data collection from everyday user movements offers invaluable insights into network performance. This crowd-sourced approach helps network operators pinpoint and rectify coverage gaps and connectivity issues swiftly, enhancing overall network quality. The cost savings and efficiency of this method allow operators to allocate resources more effectively, ensuring improved service delivery and customer satisfaction.

Best regards,
The RantCell Team

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