Read David Maxson’s article for “Above Ground Level Magazine” (www.agl-mag.com) chronicling the Isotrope project that measured wireless broadband speeds for the State of Utah. The project was funded by the State Broadband Initiative (SBI) of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In the article Mr. Maxson talks about theoretical wireless broadband speeds by wireless technology and how Isotrope went about measuring bandwidth speeds out on the roads of Utah.
Here is an excerpt:
With the officially defined threshold for broadband service (768/200Mbps) and an online broadband map showing data service availability by provider, the state of Utah sought other ways to look at the question. The Utah broadband website has an online speed test that broadband subscribers are invited to run. Such test tools provide a useful snapshot of data speeds that subscribers actually obtain where they use their broadband services (wireless and wireline). Of course, the results are entirely dependent on who runs the speed test, the quality of their connection, and the type and condition of their user equipment.
To obtain another glimpse at the geographic distribution of mobile wireless broadband services, the Utah SBI team commissioned a statewide drive test of broadband mobile wireless services. To guide the drive test, Bert Granberg of the Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center (the state’s geographic information systems department) assembled a set of first-, second- and third-class roads spanning the state’s varied terrain and land use. The plan was to reach into every corner of Utah life, including urban, suburban, rural, mountain, valley, canyon, desert, park, range, resort and reservation. Isotrope won the contract to conduct the survey under the auspices of the state’s broadband consultant, International Research Center. Utah is a beautiful place to tour, even if just passing through.
Read the full article here.