BELLEVUE, Wash., June 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telus and Bell have overtaken Rogers as the top-performing mobile carriers in Vancouver, according to the latest data from RootMetrics®, the standard for independent mobile network performance information.
In the 2nd Half 2015 Vancouver RootScore Report released today, Telus and Bell shared five out of the six RootMetrics awards, including the Overall RootScore® Award, which includes results across data, call, and text testing. Rogers won the overall award outright in the last round of testing.
The latest report marks the first result from RootMetrics' expanded mobile testing across Canada. RootMetrics will issue RootScore Reports for the eight largest metro areas in Canada this year, up from three last year for Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Later this year, RootMetrics will release the 2nd Half 2015 Canadian Mobile Network Performance Review with results from the most comprehensive measurement of mobile performance ever conducted in Canada.
In the latest results, Telus and Bell also shared the top spot in Vancouver in network reliability, network speed, call performance and text performance, while Telus won the Data Performance RootScore Award outright.
Rogers, meanwhile, did not rank first in any category this time around, after finishing first outright or sharing the top spot in each category last time. However, it did finish close behind Telus and Bell in all categories and boasted the fastest data speeds of all carriers.
WIND had relatively high scores in network reliability, call and text performance, but struggled to keep up with the big three national carriers on network speed and data performance.
The final RootMetrics Overall Performance RootScore rankings for Vancouver:
1 – Telus (98.7)
1 – Bell (98.5)
3 – Rogers (95.6)
4 – WIND (79.9)
A good Overall RootScore means strong all-around performance and a good consumer experience.
Network Reliability and Speed
Reliability and speed are crucial to a quality mobile experience. RootMetrics combines reliability and speed results into 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 the latest RootScore Report, Telus and Bell topped the network and speed indices in a tie; Rogers had ranked first outright in both indices in the previous round of testing.
Reliability Index rankings:
1 – Telus (99.4)
1 – Bell (99.2)
3 – Rogers (96.7)
4 – WIND (87.3)
Speed Index rankings:
1 – Telus (96.6)
1 – Bell (96.1)
3 – Rogers (94.9)
4 – WIND (57.0)
Data Performance: Telus in the Top Spot, but Rogers Leads in Data Speeds
Telus pulled ahead to take the lead in data performance in the Vancouver metro area, winning the Data RootScore® Award outright for the first time. Rogers won this award outright in August of 2014. Data Performance RootScores factor in each network's reliability and speed when downloading and uploading data, performing email tasks, and downloading files that approximate loading typical webpages or apps.
Despite dropping out of the top data performance spot in the latest round of testing, Rogers still recorded the fastest median download and upload speeds in Vancouver at 35.2 Mbps and 20.2 Mbps, respectively. At 35.2 Mbps, you can download a song in less than 2 seconds.
Meanwhile, Telus and Bell both showed dramatic improvement in data speeds. Telus improved its median download speed from 14.8 Mbps to 25.8 Mbps and its median upload speed from 4.2 Mbps to 18.4 Mbps. Bell's median download speed jumped from 17.0 Mbps to 23.8 Mbps, while its median upload speed improved from 6.8 Mbps to 15.0 Mbps.
Data Performance rankings:
1 – Telus (98.5)
2 – Bell (98.1)
3 – Rogers (98.0)
4 – WIND (75.6)
Call and Text Performance
Telus and Bell tied for the top spot in call performance in Vancouver, while Rogers and Telus shared the award in the previous testing in August. Telus and Bell also shared the top spot for text performance, an award Rogers and Bell shared last August.
Comprehensive testing
To evaluate the mobile experience in Vancouver, RootMetrics performed 25,518 call, data, and text tests across all hours of the day and night (4/9/15 – 4/17/15). Using smartphones purchased off the shelf at carrier stores, tests were conducted indoors at 41 locations, outdoors and while driving about 1,605 km, or nearly 1,000 miles. For details about RootMetrics testing, see the methodology section of the RootMetrics website.
"The Canadian mobile landscape is going through a dramatic change, as carriers work to improve their networks and attract new customers," said Bill Moore, RootMetrics CEO. "Even though Telus and Bell passed Rogers to share the overall award, all three carriers scored in the high 90s on network reliability, while offering data speeds that rival those in major American cities. And even though WIND still trails in Vancouver, it's making big strides when it comes to reliability.
"By expanding our testing in Canada, we are excited to give consumers a comprehensive look at how the carriers are performing across the entire country as they change and improve."
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, and airports, 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.