Bordeaux, July 24, 2023: The cyclists of the Tour de France 2023 have been offering a wonderful tribute to sport across the 3464 km of the race. Still, these roads, used by residents, tourists, and businesses all year long, simply lack the bare minimum internet access.
Stellar has successfully collected data on the thousands of kilometers of Tour de France 2023 routes, as part of its connectivity mapping product STEER SURVEY (formerly known as "streets"). Through this, Stellar has been monitoring and assessing the true quality of internet while travelling.
“We all hate dropped calls and bad internet on the road. This lack of connection is a big issue for ambulances, firetrucks and for all enterprises that need to coordinate their fleet. Moreover, internet is a must-have for the future of sustainable mobility; would you step in an automated vehicle if you cannot call for help?” said Damien Garot, CEO of Stellar. He also added that “it’s not just about network coverage, as coverage always ends up telling half the story; it’s rather about the authentic quality of service experienced by the users.”
The detailed internet maps of the Tour de France 2023 show the value of the approach adopted by Stellar: instead of estimating the quality of service from the announced coverage of the various network operators, Stellar leverages a fleet of vehicles - equipped with antennas, modems, and advanced software - to accurately measure the connectivity on all roads directly from the tarmac. Stellar’s mapping efforts encompass 4G and 5G networks, Wi-Fi hotspots, and identify adequate areas for deploying satellite services.
Simone La Torre, Stellar’s Director of Business Development, stated that “the best way to know if internet works somewhere, is to physically go there and check it, and that’s why we don’t just rely on analytical models, because we find them to be largely inaccurate and incomplete.”
As a result of the measurements, Stellar was able to collect over 50 useful insight metrics for decision-makers, such as local, regional and national institutions, network and infrastructure operators, vehicle manufacturers, fleet managers, and insurance companies. These metrics, even at the most general level, portray an appalling reality:
Extract from general metrics:
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Average quality of service
across all network operators
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“Poor or Lacking” service for 62.3 % of time, or 37 minutes with unusable internet connection on a 1hr-long trip
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Average frequency of loss
from high-speed internet
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High-speed Internet loss every 131 seconds
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Roads on which high-speed satellite internet service is needed
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High-speed satellite internet required for 30.7 % of time
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The overall results, although painting an alarming picture, allowed Stellar to collect a tremendous amount of information for its customers on how and where to improve the connectivity networks.
- Extract from STEER SURVEY by Stellar, showing the true internet quality of service for one of the main mobile networks on a route segment about 50 km long, as of July 2023 –
For decision-makers, having access to such insights is instrumental not only for the assessment of the digital divide, but also to plan network improvements, be aware of the actual connectivity performance, support the digitalization of the territory, augment monitoring capabilities on land, assess insurance-related implications for the availability of emergency service on the roads, and ultimately enable a better internet experience on the move.
Stellar has put great efforts into developing its unique technology for its internet mapping service STEER SURVEY and for modelling the true experience of each vehicle and person on the move. The company is already engaging with customers for route connectivity maps and welcomes further commercial inquiries at business@stellar.tc
