Nielsen Mobile: Your connection to the digital consumer

Nielsen Mobile Network Testing Fleet

We Drive 1,000,000 Miles for You
Comprehensive drive testing of mobile network quality in over 350 metropolitan markets in the US and Canada

Operators and specialists have conducted drive tests since the early days of mobile communications. But Nielsen Mobile does it differently. We operate our network testing fleet at a level of accuracy, scale and independence that is peerless in the industry. Unlike traditional engineering services companies, we consistently design and analyze our tests with the focus on the consumer. This orientation enables Nielsen Mobile clients to understand the impact of service quality on consumer decisions to either purchase or discontinue their service.

Nielsen Mobile collects its data with a fleet of 25 trucks each custom configured with state-of-the-art call testing equipment, dozens of mobile devices, antennas and scanners. The fleet is managed through a multi-million dollar operations center in Lynchburg, Virginia that constantly monitors the progress of the tests and the health of the test equipment platform.

How it Works:

Test Design

Nielsen Mobile utilizes its in-depth understanding of consumer preferences and behavior to design its network tests. Consumer use cases influence handset selection, call lengths and test routes.

Mobile Network Performance: Chicago

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Collection and Processing
Nielsen Mobile's fleet tests each major market twice each year and all markets at least once annually. The platform initiates millions of live calls between the fleet and the control center, and records the exact disposition of each call in considerable detail. Nielsen Mobile uses software to process, filter and analyze over 50 gigabytes of call detail daily.

Analysis and Metrics
Nielsen Mobile's engineers analyze each failed or poor-quality call at the Layer 3 messaging level to diagnose the root causes. Test results are delivered in static reports and a web-based application that integrates mapping and demographic data.

•	1,000,000 miles driven each year
•	6,000,000 calls placed each year
•	350+ markets tested each year
•	50 gigabytes of data processed daily
•	Over 150,000 failed calls reviewed each year by a dedicated RF engineering team
	Used by every major mobile carrier collectively informs $20 billion in capital expenditure decisions.

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