BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 8, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RootMetrics®, the standard for independent mobile network performance information, conducted its first-ever testing in Ottawa, revealing a tight race between the major mobile networks. Rogers, Bell and Telus shared top honors in the overall performance category, and in fact, every performance category was won in a two- or three-way tie.
According to the Ottawa 2nd Half 2015 RootScore® Report from RootMetrics, which was recently acquired by IHS Inc., all four carriers earned strong scores of 93 or more out of a possible 100 in overall performance. That means Ottawa consumers have great options for quality mobile service.
RootScore Reports provide a scientific, independent, consumer-focused assessment of mobile network performance. The Ottawa report is part of RootMetrics' expanded mobile testing across Canada and follows recently released results from Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Quebec City and Winnipeg. With the Canadian mobile landscape undergoing major changes, RootMetrics is releasing RootScore Reports for the eight largest metro areas in Canada this year. 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 Ottawa:
1 – Rogers (97.5)
1 – Bell (97.5)
1 – Telus (96.8)
4 – Videotron (93.7)
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 testing of the mobile networks in Ottawa showed excellent mobile performance across the metro area," said Julie Dey, RootMetrics vice president. "The carriers were in a close race in nearly every category. For consumers in Ottawa, this is great news. They can rely on the carriers' fast speeds and dependable performance."
Mobile Performance You Can Depend on
Reliability and speed are crucial to a quality mobile experience. RootMetrics indicates performance in these key areas with its Network Reliability category, a combination of results from data, call and text tests, and its Network Speed category, which examines results across testing of data transfers, downloading email and web/app tasks.
The three national carriers tied for first when it came to network reliability in Ottawa. Videotron beat out Telus in the network speed category, sharing the top spot with Bell and Rogers.
Reliability Index rankings:
1 – Bell (98.9)
1 – Rogers (98.8)
1 – Telus (98.4)
4 – Videotron (94.9)
Speed Index rankings:
1 – Bell (93.9)
1 – Rogers (93.9)
1 – Videotron (93.3)
4 – Telus (92.5)
Data Performance: Fast Speeds Across all Carriers
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. This was the only category resulting in a two-way tie. Bell and Rogers shared the top spot, with Telus and Videotron not far behind.
Bell and Rogers recorded statistically comparable fastest median download speeds at 27.8 Mbps and 28.4 Mbps, respectively. However, Telus and Bell were not far behind, with median download speeds of 23.7 Mbps each. At these speeds, it would only take around 2 seconds to download a song.
Data Performance rankings:
1 – Bell (97.4)
1 – Rogers (97.2)
3 – Telus (96.5)
3 – Videotron (96.3)
Call and Text Performance
The three national carriers shared the awards in both the call and text categories in the Ottawa metro area. Although Videotron fell a bit behind when it came to call performance, it closely trailed the other carriers in the text category.
Call Performance rankings:
1 – Rogers (98.0)
1 – Bell (97.6)
1 – Telus (97.2)
4 – Videotron (89.6)
Text Performance rankings:
1 – Telus (98.6)
1 – Bell (98.3)
3 – Rogers (98.1)
4 – Videotron (97.3)
Comprehensive Testing
To evaluate the mobile experience in Ottawa, RootMetrics performed 16,289 call, data and text tests across all hours of the day and night from July 23 through July 28. Using smartphones purchased off the shelf at carrier stores, tests were conducted indoors at 27 locations, outdoors and while driving about 1,320 km, or about 820 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 nations, states, metro areas, airports, venues, transit centers, retail areas, and campuses, 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.
About IHS
IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of insight, analytics and expertise in critical areas that shape today's business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 150 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs about 8,800 people in 32 countries around the world.