Telephia's network performance data shows positive customer perception

San Franciso, CA-based Telephia, Inc released voice network quality data that reveals high call completion rates for wireless calls across the United States. The figures are the results of more than 115,000 miles of drive testing in more than 70 markets nationwide as of October 2000. The testing revealed that a high percentage of mobile phone users are able to make a call without it being dropped (97.5%) or blocked (97.2%) and a similar percentage (97.3%) of callers are able to find service when attempting to make a call.

In addition, a Telephia survey of mobile phone user perceptions indicates that customers are pleased with the quality of their networks. More than 70% of survey respondents gave a rating of "7" or higher when asked if they are happy with their overall network quality and number of dropped calls. The average rating for overall network quality (7.4) was only slightly lower than that for an acceptable rate of dropped calls (7.6).

• Quality of service percentages taken from Telephia network quality testing—Testing covered 115,000 miles and more than 70 markets nationwide:

* Note: Total Call Attempts = 439,330

• Customer perception ratings taken from Telephia wireless E~trac user survey—Ratings based on a 10-point scale where "1" is "extremely dissatisfied" and "10" is "extremely satisfied."

Average Overall Network Quality 7.4
Acceptable Rate of Dropped Calls 7.6

* Note: Number of Survey Respondents = 63,000

Telephia's network quality testing (Net~Q) is an independent, objective assessment of network performance that provides metrics for voice quality, call blocking, dropped calls and coverage. Technology-specific parameters are also collected, which address why network problems occur and help wireless carriers in making optimization decisions.

Information is delivered to clients via Net~Q Online or as static reports, on CD-ROM or as raw data. The tool provides high-speed, spatial mapping analysis and dynamic querying of network performance via the web. Information is available in more than 70 markets nationwide.

Telephia's surveys about wireless customer perceptions, Wireless E~trac, help evaluate the role of the customer experience in attracting, serving, and retaining customers. Capitalizing on the leading edge Internet capabilities of Harris Interactive, the survey reports collect consumer data from thousands of individuals per market, allowing for market-specific analysis. Businesses that subscribe to Telephia's survey are able to gauge the perceptions and behaviors of wireless voice users and track them over time.

Edited by Ellen Jensen
Managing Editor, Wireless Networks Online