The Vermont Department of Public Service (PSD) and the Agency of Transportation (AOT) will start conducting new drive tests to gather data and determine mobile wireless coverage throughout the state.
“Access to mobile wireless service is a top priority for Vermonters, for this administration, and for the department,” PSD Commissioner June Tierney, said in a statement. “We all know that there are many areas of the state that lack service. The drive tests will help to identify those areas so we can prioritize them for new coverage.”
According to state officials, identifying areas that lack service is a critical step toward the expansion and improvement of mobile wireless service around the state.
AOT maintenance employees will conduct the actual driving. Employees are expected to drive more than 6,500 miles this summer to gather data for PSD to use for this project. Additionally, in this effort, the state has partnered with Ookla – a global leader in network intelligence and connectivity insights – to help conduct the analysis.
“We are confident that Ookla’s industry-leading Wind drive-test solution and speed test application will provide results that the state can rely on to identify areas that lack coverage,” said Ookla VP of Smart Communities, Bryan Darr.
In addition, state officials are encouraging mobile wireless consumers to participate in the effort by conducting individual tests.
“We encourage Vermonters to join us in conducting mobile wireless tests taken with Speedtest this summer,” said Commissioner Tierney.
Residents can use Speedtest, an Ookla solution, to test the speed and performance of their mobile internet connection. Ookla will include the results of all consumers’ mobile wireless tests with the results of the PSD and AOT drive tests.
