A new ISP-I WiMAX drive test for both government regulators and broadband network providers has recently been launched by the broadband communications authority, Epitiro.

In order to better understand the overall performance of broadband networks in a range of geographical locations the new mobility functions of this service allows for critical GPS location information to be combined with the results of WiMAX network tests.

By providing real-time signal strength information the ISP-I WiMAX Drive Test shows areas of the country that contain ‘not-spots’ or areas where there are either limited or no wireless signal and this allows for the planning of mast placement to improve wireless broadband connectivity.

The ISP-I WiMAX is offered as a managed service by Epitiro and covers both in-life monitoring and subscriber pre-deployment testing. This will mean that the loss of resources and capital expenditure to regulators and operators will be greatly reduced by this managed service.

The CTO for Epitiro, JP Curley said “ISP-I WiMAX Drive Test accurately determines voice and data service levels for all Operators across a designated area. As an extension of ISP-I, the de facto industry standard, the new WiMAX Drive Test solution gives operators and regulators a location-based test capability backed by a proven system for benchmarking and network management.”

To allow for direct comparison and a method of benchmarking the level of performance of the whole market operators will have the ability to use ISP-I WiMAX Drive Test to view the performance of competitor networks including 3G/HSPA and WiMAX networks. Real-time test results of both competitor and their own networks will also be available to operators through the ISP-I WiMAX browser based reporting.

Curley added “Speed, availability and voice quality are the major determinates of customer satisfaction, and operators will only retain WiMAX customers – and profit from additional services – if they ensure subscriber satisfaction. We’re excited to hit the road with this much needed solution.”

Source – IT News Online