Opensignal

Last updated
Opensignal, Inc.
Company type Private company
Industry Wireless, technology
Founded2010 (2010)
FoundersBrendan Gill
James Robinson
Sam Westwood
Sina Khanifar
Headquarters
Boston, United States, London, United Kingdom, Victoria, Canada
Area served
Global
ProductsMeteor: Free Internet speed & App Performance Test, Opensignal
Website www.opensignal.com

Opensignal is an independent analytics company specialising in "quantifying the mobile-network experience".

Contents

In August 2014, Opensignal raised a $4 million Series A investment from Qualcomm Ventures, OATV and Passion Capital. [1] [2]

Products and services

The OpenSignal application points the user in the direction of better phone signal, measures signal strength, data speed and reliability, and displays nearby Wi-Fi networks. [3] Users of the app share information with Opensignal, which is used in their independent maps of carrier coverage and NetworkRank service. As of July 2021 the app has been downloaded over 10 million times. [4]

Opensignal NetworkRank is an in-app service comparing the performance of different cellular carriers in particular regions. The service is a part of their carrier maps, which are colour-coded to show areas of strong and weak cell phone signal. The information used is provided by users of the Opensignal application. [5]

The company produce regular industry and consumer reports based on information crowdsourced from their app users. They have worked with the BBC [6] and TV 2 (Denmark) [7] to create interactive maps of 3G 'notspots' in the UK and Denmark and have also produced general reports, on topics as diverse as how cell phone screen size affects data use [8] to the state of "Android Fragmentation" — that is, the vast array of different types of Android devices in use; some models having very few users. [9]

In May 2013 the firm released a second crowdsourcing app on Android, WeatherSignal. [10] It makes use of native sensors on the phones, such as barometers, hygrometers, thermometers, magnetometers and lux-meters, to collect information sent in real-time to create live weather maps. [11] After one week over 2 million readings had been collected. [12] After iPhone 6 included a barometer, a version of the app for iPhone was released.

CrisisSignal is an Android app to identify the status of communication networks (and outages) in emergency response areas. The interface is a real-time dashboard of signal strength, available networks, and other metrics. It has been used to assist with the relief efforts in Ebola affected regions. [13]

Using the data collected from the Opensignal app, the company is building WifiMapper, [14] an app for finding free Wi‑Fi hotspots, available on iOS and Android.

Method of operation

Mobile operators use different methods when it comes to compiling their coverage maps, [15] Opensignal standardises this process [16] by using crowdsourced signal data from their users to measure the true state of carrier coverage. By crowdsourcing from client devices, the firm can build a picture of the network as it is experienced by its users, rather than modelling coverage using drive testing.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wardriving</span> Search for wireless networks with mobile computing equipment

Wardriving is the act of searching for Wi-Fi wireless networks as well as cell towers, usually from a moving vehicle, using a laptop or smartphone. Software for wardriving is freely available on the internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tethering</span> Sharing of a mobile devices Internet connection with other connected computers

Tethering or phone-as-modem (PAM) is the sharing of a mobile device's Internet connection with other connected computers. Connection of a mobile device with other devices can be done over wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), over Bluetooth or by physical connection using a cable, for example through USB.

Wi-Fi calling refers to mobile phone voice calls and data that are made over IP networks using Wi-Fi, instead of the cell towers provided by cellular networks. Using this feature, compatible handsets are able to route regular cellular calls through a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) network with broadband Internet, while seamlessly change connections between the two where necessary. This feature makes use of the Generic Access Network (GAN) protocol, also known as Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA).

Truphone is a GSMA-accredited global mobile network that operates its service internationally. The company is headquartered in London and has offices in ten other countries, being spread across four continents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Femtocell</span> Small, low-power cellular base station

In telecommunications, a femtocell is a small, low-power cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business. A broader term which is more widespread in the industry is small cell, with femtocell as a subset. It typically connects to the service provider's network via the Internet through a wired broadband link ; current designs typically support four to eight simultaneously active mobile phones in a residential setting depending on version number and femtocell hardware, and eight to sixteen mobile phones in enterprise settings. A femtocell allows service providers to extend service coverage indoors or at the cell edge, especially where access would otherwise be limited or unavailable. Although much attention is focused on WCDMA, the concept is applicable to all standards, including GSM, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX and LTE solutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BT Mobile</span> British mobile virtual network operator

BT Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) provided by BT Consumer; a division of BT Group in the United Kingdom that was launched in March 2015. It uses the EE network via an MVNO agreement signed in March 2014 as well as using the spectrum BT won in the 2013 4G auction. EE is now owned by BT following a successful acquisition that was officially completed on 29 January 2016. BT Mobile operates alongside BT Business Mobile which is provided by the BT Business and Public Sector division. BT Mobile launched as a SIM-only service and had more than 400,000 customers as of 5 May 2016. BT Mobile stopped accepting new consumer customers in October 2023, as part of plans by the BT Group to make EE the main brand of the consumer business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexus One</span> 2010 Android smartphone by HTC

The Nexus One is an Android smartphone designed and manufactured by HTC as Google's first Nexus smartphone. The Nexus became available on January 5, 2010, and features the ability to transcribe voice to text, an additional microphone for dynamic noise suppression, and voice guided turn-by-turn navigation to drivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airplane mode</span> Device setting to suspend radio-frequency signal transmission

Airplane mode is a setting available on smartphones and other portable devices. When activated, this mode suspends the device's radio-frequency (RF) signal transmission technologies, effectively disabling all analog voice, and digital data services, when implemented correctly by the electronic device software author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navizon</span>

Navizon, Inc. is a provider of location-based services and products. Navizon was an early developer of technology that makes it possible to determine the geographic position of a mobile device using as reference the location of cell phone towers and Wi-Fi-based wireless access points instead of GPS. Navizon also developed technology for locating mobile devices indoors with room and floor-level accuracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MiFi</span> Brand name for a wireless router that acts as mobile Wi-Fi hotspot

MiFi is a brand name to describe a wireless router that acts as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot device.

RootMetrics offers scientifically collected and crowdsourced mobile network performance information to consumers and the industry. The firm captures user information by testing network performance when consumers are using their mobile phone for voice or data communications.

Mobile data offloading is the use of complementary network technologies for delivering data originally targeted for cellular networks. Offloading reduces the amount of data being carried on the cellular bands, freeing bandwidth for other users. It is also used in situations where local cell reception may be poor, allowing the user to connect via wired services with better connectivity.

Connectify is an American software company that develops networking software for consumers, professionals and companies. Connectify Hotspot is a virtual router software for Microsoft Windows, and Speedify is a mobile VPN service with channel bonding capabilities available for individuals, families and teams.

FreedomPop is a wireless Internet and mobile virtual network operator based in Los Angeles, California. The company provides "free" IP mobile services including free data, text and VoIP and sells mobile phones, tablets and broadband devices for use with their service. It was founded by CEO Stephen Stokols and Steven Sesar, and owned and operated by STS Media Inc until June 2019 when it was successfully sold. FreedomPop uses networks of T-Mobile and AT&T in the United States, Three in the UK, Yoigo in Spain, and Telcel in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TU Me</span> Instant messaging and Voice over IP app

TU Me was a freeware instant messaging and Voice over IP app developed by Telefónica Digital. It allowed users to send instant messages, make free phone calls to contacts, share photos, record and send audio messages, and share their location. TU Me worked on 3G and WiFi networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PressureNET</span>

PressureNET was a crowd-sourced reporting network for barometric pressure data.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mapillary</span> Swedish service for sharing crowdsourced geotagged photos

Mapillary is a service for sharing crowdsourced geotagged photos, developed by remote company Mapillary AB, based in Malmö, Sweden. Mapillary was launched in 2013 and acquired by Meta Platforms in 2020. It offers street level imagery similar to Google Street View.

Smartphone ad hoc networks are wireless ad hoc networks that use smartphones. Once embedded with ad hoc networking technology, a group of smartphones in close proximity can together create an ad hoc network. Smart phone ad hoc networks use the existing hardware in commercially available smartphones to create peer-to-peer networks without relying on cellular carrier networks, wireless access points, or traditional network infrastructure. Wi-Fi SPANs use the mechanism behind Wi-Fi ad-hoc mode, which allows phones to talk directly among each other, through a transparent neighbor and route discovery mechanism. SPANs differ from traditional hub and spoke networks, such as Wi-Fi Direct, in that they support multi-hop routing and relays and there is no notion of a group leader, so peers can join and leave at will without destroying the network.

Mozilla Location Service (MLS) is an open geolocation service which allows devices to find their position by processing their received signals of publicly observable radio transmitters: cellular network antennae, Wi-Fi access points, and Bluetooth beacons. The service is provided by Mozilla since 2013. The service uses Mozilla's open source software project called Ichnaea.

Mosaik Solutions was a company that specializes in wireless coverage data and wireless coverage maps, based in Memphis, Tennessee before being acquired by Ookla.

References

  1. ↑ "Term Sheet — Wednesday, August 6".
  2. ↑ Primack, Dan. "Term Sheet -- Wednesday, August 6 - Venture Capital Deals". www.Fortune.com. Fortune Magazine. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Matt Warman, Opensignal app review, The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  4. ↑ Alex Wood, Opensignal launches iOS app Archived 2013-04-26 at the Wayback Machine , Tech City News. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  5. ↑ Paul Sawers, Opensignal's crowdsourced network coverage app gets a big update, The Next Web. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  6. ↑ Jane Wakefield, 3G mobile data network crowd-sourcing survey by BBC News, BBC. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  7. ↑ Magnus Bjerg, Stor 3G-test: De dækker bedst i din kommune, TV2. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  8. ↑ Paul Sawers, Larger smartphone screens lead to increased Web usage, but only over WiFi says Opensignal, The Next Web. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  9. ↑ Chris Velazco, 3,997 Models: Android Fragmentation As Seen By The Developers Of OpensignalMaps, Tech Crunch. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  10. ↑ Paul Marks, App turns smartphone sensors into weather stations, New Scientist. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  11. ↑ Opensignal Blog, One Week of WeatherSignal. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  12. ↑ Weathersignal - About Archived 2013-06-09 at the Wayback Machine , WeatherSignal. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  13. ↑ Opensignal, CrisisSignal deployed in Ebola affected regions response, Opensignal Blog. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  14. ↑ WifiMapper, WifiMapper - An App for Finding Free Wifi Hotspots Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine , WifiMapper Site, Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  15. ↑ Opensignal Blog, UK networks misleading coverage maps Archived 2013-09-17 at the Wayback Machine , Opensignal Blog. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  16. ↑ Kevin Fitchard, Crowdsourced network tester Opensignal releases on iPhone, GigaOM. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
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