IMDA has recently released an update to its free IMconnected
mobile application. The refreshed app continues to identify areas for
improvement in Singapore’s local mobile networks and features a new speed test
for higher data volume.
As reported
earlier, IMconnected is a mobile application that utilises voluntary
crowdsourcing to understand the experience of mobile broadband users. It
gathers usage experience anonymously from users’ mobile phones, including
aspects such as broadband speed, latency and coverage on mobile cellular
networks such as 3G and 4G, as well as on Wi-Fi networks. This allows IMDA to
have a better understanding of mobile broadband performance and provides
information on consumers’ usage experience.
Since the start of the pilot in October 2015, the
IMconnected app has gathered millions of data points. It has helped to identify
areas with high utilisation as well as potential cellular blind spots. The
results are shared with mobile telecommunication operators with the aim of improving
mobile coverage to benefit consumers.
The update features the following new functions:
(1)
Interactive
report
According to IMDA, data points collected from the app will
be presented as an interactive report, instead of the current static report, on
the IMconnected website. The IMconnected webpage features a new unified
dashboard which allows users to view reports across operators and technologies,
and observe trends over selected time periods seamlessly. The increase in
information transparency will help consumers make informed decisions on their
mobile broadband plans.
(2)
Enhanced speed test
The updated IMconnected app now gives users the choice of
two different speed tests, Lite and Full, depending on the usage experience
they would like to test. A pop-up screen will inform users of the maximum data
volume that will be utilised before the start of each test.
The Lite test is recommended for users who would like to
determine their network speeds using a lower data volume while the Full test
allows users who use more data intensive applications to determine their
network speeds using higher data volume.
The Lite test uses up to 20 MB of data, with a maximum of 10
MB of data used for each uplink and downlink direction. The results are
relevant to users who perform less data-intensive functions on their devices,
such as web browsing and social media usage.
The Full test uses up to 300 MB of data, with a maximum of
150 MB of data used for each uplink and downlink direction, to better reflect
the high speed performance and capacity of the networks in handling
data-intensive uses.
The IMconnected is available on the Apple
App Store and Google Play
Store.
