Poster: collective mobile sensing for wireless network performance monitoring

Rapid growth of mobile wireless industry has generated numerous challenges for service operators. The provisioning of increasing demand in capacity and higher quality of service can be met with redimensioning of networks which makes a priori network planning difficult. We propose a network performance monitoring system to which all mobile devices contribute by voluntarily submitting periodical reports on the availability and quality of network access that they experience at their current geographical locations. Network performance measures such as signal strength, coverage, call block/drop statistics and operator service capabilities are reported to a server with a network status information database as experienced by mobile devices. The proposed database will indicate areas with lack of coverage, insufficient capacity, and high interference, which may serve as cues for operators to upgrade/retune their infrastructure equipment and for regulators to take action against operators that do not fulfill commitments made to their subscribers.