The Challenge: Are We Measuring What Really Matters?
Traditional mobile network measurement platforms often rely on synthetic methodologies — speed test apps or SDKs integrated into third-party applications. While these approaches can be scaled quickly, they introduce significant technical limitations:
- Traffic Prioritization: Speed test traffic is often identifiable and treated preferentially by core networks. Operators can detect these flows and prioritize them similarly to VoLTE traffic, resulting in inflated performance metrics.
- SDK Visibility: Measurement SDKs embedded in third-party apps send traffic to known endpoints (often CDNs such as Google or Amazon). App analytics platforms can reveal which apps include which SDKs. This makes it easy for operators to identify the apps and prioritize measurement traffic, biasing results.
- CDN Dependence: The performance of CDN-based tests varies based on an operator’s caching strategy and commercial agreements. Operators with local caches or direct CDN peering show better results — even if their real-world user experience is not superior.
These issues result in measurements that are not representative of the everyday mobile experience. The flaws in these comparisons are not just theoretical — they are visible in public reports. In fact, two of the leading third-party crowdsourcing platforms recently published rankings where the mobile operators ranked #1 and #2 globally in one report were ranked only #50 and #54 in the other. Such stark discrepancies highlight how poorly these measurement systems reflect true performance and how easily they can be skewed. Instead, they reflect how well a network can optimize specific, known traffic — not how it performs under real conditions.
Netradar's Approach: Passive, Hybrid, and Immune to Manipulation
At Netradar, we fundamentally rethink how user experience should be measured.
Developed at Aalto University, our hybrid measurement methodology avoids synthetic testing altogether. Instead, we focus on real user interactions and actual traffic patterns:
- Passive Monitoring: Netradar passively analyzes all data transfers 24/7 on the device as they occur, without the need for active speed tests or fixed test endpoints.
- Real User-Experience: Our system measures user throughput, latency, and latency behaviour under real load conditions — as users browse, stream, and interact with their apps.
- ML/AI-Driven Analysis: We use machine learning to detect top-speed performance, network satisfaction, and signs of congestion or throttling, all without injecting test traffic.
- No Fingerprints, No Targets: Since we don’t rely on synthetic probes or known destinations, and only focus on behaviour of latency not the absolute value, Netradar traffic is indistinguishable from normal user activity. This makes it impossible for operators to shape or prioritize Netradar measurements.
Why This Matters
- 100% Resistance to Traffic Prioritization: There are no test signatures or identifiable flows — so there is no opportunity for manipulation.
- Unbiased Across Networks: Our methodology ensures a level playing field for all operators, regardless of their CDN agreements or caching infrastructure.
- Real-World Accuracy: We measure what users actually experience, not an optimized subset of test scenarios.
- Trusted by Regulators and Operators: With a methodology grounded in academic research and industry collaboration, Netradar provides the transparency and reliability needed for data-driven decision-making.
Supporting Telecom Regulators with Independent and Accurate Data
Telecom Regulators play a critical role in ensuring fair competition and high-quality service delivery across mobile operators. However, traditional measurement systems often fall short in providing the full picture. Relying solely on operator-reported KPIs or legacy crowdsourcing methods leaves regulators exposed to incomplete, biased, or manipulated data.
Netradar offers regulators an independent, technically robust solution for monitoring true user experience 24/7 across all networks. By eliminating test traffic that can be optimized or prioritized by operators, our system provides a neutral, consistent dataset — free from manipulation and aligned with real-world user conditions.
This empowers regulators to:
- Conduct accurate benchmarking of operator performance
- Detect discrepancies between reported KPIs and real user experience
- Promote data-driven policy making and spectrum management
- Increase transparency and trust with the public and industry stakeholders
With Netradar, regulators are equipped with the insights they need to uphold service quality, ensure fairness, and drive continuous network improvement.
The Bottom Line
Accurate measurement of mobile user experience requires more than just convenience — it requires integrity in methodology. By eliminating the possibility of prioritization and manipulation, Netradar delivers true, unbiased, and consistent insights that reflect the real-world experience of mobile users.
If you’re seeking a network measurement solution that offers technical rigor and real-world validity, Netradar is the answer — for both operators and regulators alike.
