Company:OpenSignal

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OpenSignal, Inc.
TypePrivate company
IndustryWireless, technology
Founded2010 (2010)
FoundersBrendan Gill
James Robinson
Sam Westwood
Sina Khanifar
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Area served
Global
ProductsCrisisSignal, Meteor: Free Internet speed & App Performance Test, OpenSignal, WeatherSignal, WifiMapper
Websitewww.opensignal.com

OpenSignal is a company that specializes in wireless coverage mapping. The company crowdsources data on carrier signal quality from users who have its consumer mobile application installed. Consumers can view the crowdsourced data either online or in-app in the form of colour-coded maps that aid purchasing decisions by showing unbiased data from different carriers side-by-side. In 2013 OpenSignal was named the "UK's Most Innovative Mobile Company" by UK Trade & Investment.[1]

In August 2014, OpenSignal raised a $4 million Series A investment from Qualcomm Ventures, OATV and Passion Capital. [2] [3]

Products and services

OpenSignal App

The OpenSignal application points the user in the direction of better phone signal, measures signal strength, data speed and reliability, and displays nearby Wi-Fi networks.[4] Users of the app share information with OpenSignal, which is used in their independent maps of carrier coverage and NetworkRank service. As of March 2013 the app has been downloaded over 3 million times.[5]

NetworkRank

OpenSignal NetworkRank is an online and in-app service which allows the user to compare the performance of different cellular carriers in particular geographic regions. The service is a part of their carrier maps, which are colour-coded to show areas of strong and weak cell phone signal. All information used in the NetworkRank service is provided by users of the OpenSignal application.[6]

OpenSignal Reports

OpenSignal produce regular industry and consumer reports which are based on information crowdsourced from their app users. They have worked collaboratively with the BBC [7] and TV 2 (Denmark)[8] to create interactive maps of 3G 'notspots' in the UK and Denmark and have also produced general reports, on topics as diverse as how cell phone screen size affects data use [9] to the state of Android Fragmentation.[10]

WeatherSignal

In May 2013 OpenSignal released a second crowdsourcing app on Android, WeatherSignal.[11] The app makes use of native sensors on Android phones, such as barometers, hygrometers, thermometers, magnetometers and lux-meters, to collect information relevant to meteorology which are sent in real-time with the aim of creating live weather maps.[12] After one week over 2 million readings had been collected.[13]

After iPhone 6 included a barometer, the OpenSignal team built a version of WeatherSignal for iPhone.

CrisisSignal

CrisisSignal is an Android app that helps identify the status of communication networks (and outages) in emergency response areas. The app interface is a real-time dashboard of signal strength, available networks, and other metrics. CrisisSignal has been used to assist with the relief efforts in Ebola affected regions.[14]

WifiMapper

Using the data collected from the OpenSignal app, OpenSignal is building WifiMapper,[15] an app exclusively dedicated to finding free Wi‑Fi hotspots. The app is available on iOS and Android.

Method of operation

OpenSignal crowdsources signal data from their users in order to measure the true state of carrier coverage. By crowdsourcing their data from client devices, OpenSignal are able to build a picture of the network as it is experienced by its users, rather than modelling coverage using drive testing. Currently mobile operators use different methods when it comes to compiling their coverage maps,[16] OpenSignal standardises this process in order to give consumers insight into which network will provide them with the best coverage in their area.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Zen Terrelonge, OpenSignal named Smart UK project champion , Mobile Entertainment. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  2. ↑ http://fortune.com/2014/08/06/term-sheet-wednesday-august-6/
  3. ↑ Primack, Dan. "Term Sheet -- Wednesday, August 6 - Venture Capital Deals". Fortune Magazine. http://fortune.com/2014/08/06/term-sheet-wednesday-august-6/. Retrieved 11 August 2014. 
  4. ↑ Matt Warman, OpenSignal app review, The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  5. ↑ Alex Wood, OpenSignal launches iOS app, Tech City News. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  6. ↑ Paul Sawers, OpenSignal's crowdsourced network coverage app gets a big update, The Next Web. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  7. ↑ Jane Wakefield, 3G mobile data network crowd-sourcing survey by BBC News, BBC. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  8. ↑ Magnus Bjerg, Stor 3G-test: De dækker bedst i din kommune, TV2. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  9. ↑ Paul Sawers, Larger smartphone screens lead to increased Web usage, but only over WiFi says OpenSignal, The Next Web. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  10. ↑ Chris Velazco, 3,997 Models: Android Fragmentation As Seen By The Developers Of OpenSignalMaps, Tech Crunch. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  11. ↑ Paul Marks, App turns smartphone sensors into weather stations, New Scientist. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  12. ↑ OpenSignal Blog, One Week of WeatherSignal. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  13. ↑ Weathersignal - About, WeatherSignal. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  14. ↑ OpenSignal, CrisisSignal deployed in Ebola affected regions response, OpenSignal Blog. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  15. ↑ WifiMapper, WifiMapper - An App for Finding Free Wifi Hotspots, WifiMapper Site, Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  16. ↑ OpenSignal Blog, UK networks misleading coverage maps, OpenSignal Blog. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  17. ↑ Kevin Fitchard, Crowdsourced network tester OpenSignal releases on iPhone, GigaOM. Retrieved 2013-04-30.

External links




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