Metrico Wireless Makes Testing the Performance of Wireless Devices as Easy as Downloading a Ringtone
Stop by Metrico Booth #729 at CTIA Wireless 2008 and see how different mobile phones perform and measure up to each other
CTIA WIRELESS Booth #729
LAS VEGAS – April 1, 2008 – When it comes to pleasing wireless customers, devices matter - a lot! In the last year, we’ve all seen how a popular wireless device can help a wireless carrier attract new customers. According to industry reports, up to 40 percent of iPhone buyers represented new customers for AT&T.
But the opposite is true as well: A phone that doesn’t live up to expectations can cost a carrier a lot of money. That’s why selecting which phones to subsidize and/or market to customers is not an easy choice for carriers.
After all, it’s not just the “coolness” factor that drives a carrier’s choice of phones. Mobile carriers also have to make sure the phones actually perform well on their networks. If they don’t, the phones could tie up key network resources or increase their customer service costs significantly.
Fortunately, determining how a device will perform on a particular wireless network is getting a lot easier. In fact, testing wireless device performance is now almost as easy as…well, as easy as downloading a ringtone, thanks to Metrico Wireless.
Metrico Wireless’ Datum Mobile solution enables wireless carriers and manufacturers to evaluate the performance of any wireless device in the field – testing issues such as network throughput, packet loss and jitter – simply by using software that is easily downloadable into phones.
This provides a whole new way to measure device performance. For instance, comparing and contrasting the performance of the latest devices from Samsung and Motorola no longer involves sending engineers into the field armed with phones connected to laptops.
Instead, carriers can now rely on “friendly” customers to help them evaluate the performance of such devices, simply by letting these friendly customers use the phones before they are released to the mass market. Using the Datum Mobile software, these devices continually “report” standard performance measures to a central database, making the need to drive-test new devices practically obsolete. In theory, wireless carriers can now turn their customers into network engineers.
The ability to test device performance simply by downloading software into a device provides a huge potential cost-savings for carriers, particularly in light of the move to more open networks. In this environment, a carrier must ensure that any phone that is compatible with its network will not cause performance problems. Using Datum Mobile, wireless carriers can test a wide range of phones without tying up expensive engineering resources for days or even weeks.
The software can provide other potential savings to a carrier as well, such as reducing customer service costs by allowing phone performance to be diagnosed remotely. For instance, customer service representatives could send a downloadable piece of diagnostic software to customers who are having trouble with their phones. They could then use the software to help determine the cause of the problem – or at least to rule out potential causes.
“Thanks to Metrico Wireless, it’s now much easier and much less expensive to evaluate the performance of wireless devices – and to determine what impact these devices have on overall network performance. And it can’t come at a better time,” said Dimitrios Topaltzas, founder and President of Metrico Wireless. “As carriers begin to support more ‘open’ networks, the number of devices and applications running on their networks is going to explode, which could negatively affect performance. Metrico’s Datum Mobile allows carriers to cost-effectively evaluate the impact of devices and applications running on their networks. Using Datum Mobile, carriers can ensure their commitment to openness won’t have an adverse affect on network performance – or their bottom line.”
Metrico Wireless, which tests more than 100 new handset models annually for a wide range of wireless customers that include AT&T, T-Mobile, Samsung and Research in Motion, is demonstrating its Datum Mobile software in Booth #729 at CTIA Wireless 2008, held April 1-3 in Las Vegas.
Want to see how fast a mobile phone really downloads files? Or how the voice quality of one phone stacks up in comparison to other devices? Stop by the Metrico Wireless Booth #729 and see our innovative approach for yourself. It takes just a few minutes – and it could give you invaluable insight into your next phone purchase.
Media Contact:
Brad Wills
Wills & Associates
301-346-7398 / bwills@wills-pr.com
About Metrico Wireless
Metrico Wireless Inc. provides user-experience performance measurement solutions to the wireless industry. The company’s innovative processes and technologies enable it to effectively analyze voice quality, as well as call and data performance. Leading wireless carriers and handset makers – such as AT&T, Motorola, Nokia, Research in Motion and T-Mobile – rely on Metrico’s solutions to ensure that their handsets will meet and exceed consumers’ expectations.
