UK : Vodafone UK is the most reliable and the fastest network for mobile broadband according to LCC International, the largest independent wireless engineering company in the world.

The conclusion follows 28,000 network tests throughout March, April and May 2008 and comes a month after Vodafone UK announced it would start to do more to simplify mobile broadband for customers and talk less about theoretical possibilities and more about real speeds and actual benefits.

The study, commissioned by Vodafone UK, in locations independently selected, found that the Vodafone UK network is the fastest and most reliable for file download and web page loading when using data cards or USB modems.  The sites tested across the UK reflected real customer experience of residential and business use, both indoor and outdoor, and included towns and cities of various sizes with locations such as railway stations, tourist spots, airports and motorway service stations. The fastest available equipment1 from each operator was used in the test.

Jeni Mundy, CTO for Vodafone UK, concludes: “This is fantastic news for our customers, as this research shows that they can be assured of both the highest reliability and speed. Everyday we enjoy great feedback from our mobile broadband customers, who delight in telling us that they’ve had a great experience and been able to do something that wouldn’t have been possible without mobile broadband.  This research demonstrates that we are passionate about quality of service and take pride in all that we do to ensure a superb experience every time customers use our services.”

In May, Vodafone UK said it would do more to make actual speeds clearer to customers when purchasing a USB modem to access Vodafone’s high-speed mobile broadband network. Tests show that on average the Vodafone network took 13.54 seconds to download an MP3 file of 2MB in size (approx. one 3 minute song), which was up to 10 seconds faster than the slowest competitor. The network reliability was the highest among the operators with a 99.76% success rate for downloading a 2MB MP3 file.

When opening web pages, on average Vodafone’s network took just 6.7 seconds on average to load a page, significantly faster than other networks (up to four times faster than slowest competitor).  This was matched with a 99.69% success rate for opening a web page.

Neil Smith, Vice President of LCC International, explains: “When we responded to Vodafone’s tender it was made very clear that this test was to be done in independent conditions. We have been rigid in our methodology and did not disclose anything to Vodafone UK until the trial was completed. We have designed one of the most comprehensive assessments of its kind in order to generate a statistically sound report. As a result, we have been able to conclude that Vodafone‘s mobile broadband network is statistically significantly faster and more reliable that other operators to both download files and load web pages.”

Jeni continues: “We are investing significantly in rolling out improved speed and capacity to new areas of the country, so even more customers will benefit from high-speed networks by the Autumn. And with our new USB modem pricing there has never been a better time to be with Vodafone.”

Since pioneering Mobile Broadband in June 2006, Vodafone has led the way in keeping things simple and through innovation, ensuring ease of use and by continuously gathering customer insight has introduced the following key elements; the award winning USB modem, plug and play software, flat rate domestic tariffs and ‘per day’ roaming sessions with Mobile Connect Abroad.

Summary notes

1      The equipment was purchased from each operator’s store by LCC and was a minimum of up to 3.6 Mbps

2      Birmingham, Bristol. Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Reading will join London and major airports

About the study:

• ·         LCC chose the towns and locations and the timetable and did not reveal any information about where or when to Vodafone UK until after the tests were completed. This ensured complete independence.
• ·         This was not simulated – the test was designed to be representative of how customers would use data services – ie sitting in a café at a motorway service station.
• ·         Samples were representative of a UK population sample – across the UK in a mix of towns, business, residential and tourist hotspots.
• ·         Each operator’s declared fastest contract mobile data card or modem package were used.
• ·         The test assessed the speed and reliability of using a mobile broadband network to download data and browse the internet
• ·         Equipment was specially designed and built by LCC to conduct the test as a test of its kind had not been done before. The equipment simultaneously tested five data cards in laptops.

Timeline:

• ·         February 2008: measurement equipment built tested and validated
• ·         March 2008: M25 regional measurement                          
• ·         April 2008: South, South West, Wales, Midlands and East region measurements
• ·         May 2008: North East, North West, Scotland, Northern Ireland region measurement

Key facts: 28000 tests conducted over 10 weeks, in 140 locations (15 airports tested, 11 shopping centres, 33 hotels, 10 service stations, 27 business locations including business parks and offices, 22 rail stations), 1000 man hours and 20,000 miles travelled.

Key findings:

• ·         Up to 77% faster when downloading a 2MB file (compared to slowest operator performance): Vodafone UK download speeds on mobile broadband are 1.2Mbps/13.54seconds compared to 764kbps/21.44 seconds for Three, 683kbps/23.99 seconds for Orange, 812kbps/20.17 seconds for 02 and 993kbps/16.15 seconds for T-Mobile.
• ·         Up to 278% faster to open a web page (compared to slowest operator performance): Vodafone UK’s mobile broadband takes 6.7 seconds compared to 12.7 seconds on Three, 7.45 seconds on  02, 7.8 seconds on T-Mobile and 25.67 on Orange