A Closer Look into Mobile Network Speed Measurements
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As the demand for mobile connectivity continues to grow, there is a strong need to quantify the performance of Mobile Broadband (MBB) networks. In the last years, mobile speed gained popularity as the most commonly accepted metric to describe performance. However, there is no consensus on how exactly to measure mobile speed. In this paper, we explore the concept of crowdsourced performance measurements in MBB networks. First, we analyse the methodology of a number of representative tools, such as Ookla Speedtest, OpenSignal, RTR-Nettest, MobiPerf, and investigate whether these tools essentially measure the same metrics. Second, we introduce MONROE-Nettest, a configurable tool for mobile speed measurements which can be adapted to run different measurement methodologies. Through the analysis of MONROE-Nettest measurements over commercial mobile networks, which we provide as an open dataset, we identify and quantify the key factors affecting the results of mobile speed measurements.
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