BELLEVUE, Wash., July 21, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When it comes to mobile carrier performance in Edmonton, there's a tight race at the top. Bell, Telus and Rogers all showed excellent network performance in comprehensive testing in the Edmonton metro area, according to the latest data from RootMetrics®, the standard for independent mobile network performance information.
In good news for many consumers, all three carriers shared the first-ever Overall Performance RootScore Award with a strong combination of reliability and speed across their networks, according to RootMetrics' RootScore® Report for Edmonton. WIND finished in fourth place in the rankings as it struggled to keep pace with the other carriers, particularly in speed.
RootScore Reports provide a scientific, independent and consumer-focused assessment of mobile network performance. The new Edmonton report is part of RootMetrics' expanded mobile testing across Canada and follows results from Calgary and Vancouver released earlier this summer. With the Canadian mobile landscape undergoing major changes, RootMetrics is releasing RootScore Reports for the eight largest metro areas in Canada this year, up from three reports in 2014. Those metro results will also be included in a national report based on the most comprehensive measurement of mobile performance ever conducted in Canada.
The final RootMetrics Overall Performance RootScore rankings for Edmonton:
1 – Bell (96.6)
1 – Telus (96.2)
1 – Rogers (95.4)
4 – WIND (84.2)
RootScores are on a scale of 0 to 100. A good Overall RootScore means strong all-around performance and a good consumer experience.
"Our first-ever round of testing in Edmonton, similar to the results from Calgary, shows that the three national carriers are providing their customers with a highly reliable mobile experience," said Julie Dey, RootMetrics Vice President. "Bell, Telus and Rogers tied for the overall award, along with sharing the top spot in reliability, speed, and call performance, and they were all within one point of each other in the data and text categories. Even WIND, which struggled with data speeds, scored well in network reliability. All in all, the good news for consumers in Edmonton is that there are multiple options for choosing a carrier that's both reliable and fast."
Mobile Performance You Can Rely on
Reliability and speed are crucial to a quality mobile experience. RootMetrics indicates performance in these key areas with its Network Reliability Index, a combination of results from data, call and text tests, and its Network Speed Index, which examines data and text results. In this first Edmonton RootScore Report, Bell, Telus and Rogers shared first place in both the reliability and speed indices. WIND finished last on both indices, but had a strong score on the reliability index. In fact, all carriers scored at least 92 out of 100 in network reliability.
Reliability Index rankings:
1 – Bell (97.4)
1 – Telus (97.1)
1 – Rogers (96.3)
4 – WIND (92.2)
Speed Index rankings:
1 – Bell (95.8)
1 – Rogers (95.6)
1 – Telus (95.5)
4 – WIND (56.8)
Data Performance: Wide Gap Between Top and Bottom Speeds
Data Performance RootScores reflect how well networks perform in downloading and uploading data, performing email tasks, and downloading files that approximate loading typical webpages or apps. Rogers and Bell shared the top spot in this category. However, all three of the top carriers recorded median download speeds ranging between 20.9 Mbps and 21.2 Mbps.
Bell and Rogers offered statistically similar median upload speeds of 14.6 Mbps and 13.9 Mbps, respectively, while Telus was slightly slower with a median upload speed of 8.3 Mbps. At 14.6 Mbps, you can upload a photo to social media in a bit more than two seconds.
Meanwhile, WIND's data speeds lagged far behind the other three carriers. WIND recorded a median download speed of 2.5 Mbps and a median upload speed of 0.4 Mbps. At 0.4 Mbps, it would take more than one minute to upload a photo to social media.
Data Performance rankings:
1 – Rogers (98.4)
1 – Bell (98.2)
3 – Telus (98.0)
4 – WIND (77.7)
Calling and Texting? You're Covered in Edmonton
All carriers scored well in the call and text categories, indicating great performance all around. Bell, Telus and Rogers shared the top spot for call performance in Edmonton. Meanwhile, in the text performance category, Telus and Bell tied for first, with Rogers close behind. WIND also scored well, although the median time it took to send texts was nearly twice as long as the other networks'.
Call Performance rankings:
1 – Bell (94.4)
1 – Telus (93.7)
1 – Rogers (91.9)
4 – WIND (89.2)
Text Performance rankings:
1 – Telus (99.0)
1 – Bell (98.9)
3 – Rogers (98.0)
4 – WIND (90.9)
Comprehensive Testing
To evaluate the mobile experience in Edmonton, RootMetrics performed 19,928 call, data and text tests across all hours of the day and night from May 3 to May 9. Using smartphones purchased off the shelf at carrier stores, tests were conducted indoors at 27 locations, outdoors and while driving about 1,487 km, or 923 miles. For details about RootMetrics testing, see the methodology section of the RootMetrics website.
About RootMetrics®
RootMetrics® is an independent mobile analytics firm that offers insights into the consumer mobile experience. RootMetrics provides data on mobile network performance to help people make more informed mobile decisions. RootMetrics offers its RootScore® Report series for metropolitan markets, nations, states, airports, and venues, as well as its downloadable CoverageMap app. To ensure that RootMetrics testing reflects real-world mobile usage, testing is conducted based on where, when and how consumers use their smartphones most often.