CDMA scores the best in SAFCO test>
SAFCO Completes Wireless Network Benchmarking Surveys in Five Florida Markets; Wireless Survey Covers Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and the Space Coast
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 1999--Using its industry leading Portable VoicePrint(tm) system, SAFCO Technologies Inc., a Salient 3 Communications company (NASDAQ:STCIA), recently completed a 43-day, 6,400-mile data collection survey of five of the largest wireless markets in Florida. More than 47,000 calls were placed on analog and digital networks in Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and the Space Coast, covering 13 counties including Florida's major tourist areas and beaches. All of the major wireless interface technologies, including CDMA, TDMA, GSM, iDEN(R) and AMPS, were sampled in this survey.
In the study, the carriers were compared using four major categories of Voice Quality (EMOS -- electronic mean opinion score), Performance (dropped calls), Capacity (blocked calls) and Coverage (no service). In addition to these parameters, SAFCO measured key engineering metrics for each technology.
Across all five markets tested, CDMA consistently scored the best in voice quality. The aggregate score of the best CDMA network in each market was 3.43 (on a scale of one to five with five being the best). All of the digital networks measured -- iDEN(R), GSM, TDMA (IS-136) and CDMA -- exhibited strong voice quality performance. The analog networks surveyed did not perform as well in voice quality as any of the digital networks in these markets. The call statistics were very competitive, especially in Jacksonville and Tampa, where 16 of 17 networks had less than 2.5 percent of the calls blocked or dropped.
"The Florida studies add to the comprehensive set of data SAFCO maintains on wireless networks. With almost 200 networks surveyed, SAFCO is well on its way to doing for wireless what Nielsen does for television," said Marty Singer, SAFCO president and CEO.
SAFCO's surveys show that voice quality alone is not always the key to a winning network, but that the entire network must perform well as a complete system by providing good coverage, adequate radio resources, optimized networks and superior voice quality. In the case of the Florida markets, SAFCO's data show that three of the five markets surveyed are suffering from coverage and/or capacity issues.
Network benchmarking not only provides valuable information to operators, vendors, financial institutions, tower management firms, industry trade groups and consumer groups, but also provides marketing intelligence necessary to remain competitive and informed in the rapidly changing world of telecommunications.
In 1999 alone, SAFCO has conducted surveys in more than 15 major wireless markets including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Washington, D.C., London, Tel Aviv, Israel and Hong Kong. SAFCO currently maintains a network performance database of close to 200 networks. At the end of this month, SAFCO plans to release much-anticipated reports on New York City, Philadelphia and Boston.
Detailed statistics and geographic presentations are available for the five Florida studies and for others in the SAFCO benchmarking archives. For further information on these surveys, or to find out when SAFCO will be in your market, contact Bob Joslin or Jim Anderson, SAFCO's management team for network benchmarking services, at (407) 952-8300. To purchase a report or a series of reports, please contact a SAFCO sales representative at (800) 843-7558.
A leading international supplier of wireless planning, measurement, analysis and predictive tools, SAFCO commands a global presence with products and services deployed in more than 50 countries. SAFCO is a one-stop source for tools that benchmark and improve wireless network performance, all supported by world-class network design, system engineering and training teams. For more information, please visit our web site at safco.com.
SAFCO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Salient 3, a leading telecommunications equipment and services company with segments that support public, private and wireless communications network operators. For more information, visit Salient's web site at salient3.com.
CONTACT: SAFCO Technologies, Inc.
Jack Seller, 773/467-2693
jfs@safco.com
or
SAFCO Technologies, Inc.
Michael Musick, 773/467-2622
mdm@safco.com |
