In the summer, many people go sailing, and whether it's for professionals or yachtsmen, they are looking for the best Internet connection off the coast. The nPerf company decided to compare the mobile networks offered along the Mediterranean coast by four major French operators: Bouygues Télécom, Free, SFR and Orange. From 11 to 31 July, nPerf carried out the first field measurement campaign of telecom networks in the Mediterranean Sea. For its test, the team sailed 225 miles along the coast, between Cap d'Agde and Menton, at an average speed of 6 knots.
A first battery of tests was carried out between 1 and 2 miles from the coast and a second one at about 5 miles from the coast, using two different phones per network (a total of 8 phones for 4 mobile networks): 4 Samsung Galaxy S8 and 4 Sony Xperia XZ Premium.
And it turns out that Bouygues Télécom has the best 4G mobile coverage in the Mediterranean basin, coming out on top several times depending on the zone. It is closely followed by Orange and SFR. Free failing to reach the foot of the podium, but providing excellent coverage near major cities.
Improving mobile coverage
During this measurement campaign, more than 9800 tests were carried out with the application, in an equitable manner for each network, on 6 distinct zones. In order to provide a more exhaustive study, nPerf also carried out measurements from the Neptulink antennas. Developed, by the Brest-based company MVG, the Neptulink is a system that allows to capture 4G up to 20 miles of coastline. Four Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablets were connected in Wi-Fi to 4 Neptulink antennas, each equipped with a SIM card from an operator. This equipment made it possible to test the quality of broadband where the terminals used for the tests were no longer receiving.
The measurements carried out showed that every time a smartphone lost its Internet connection, the Neptulink maintained it. In addition to the improved connectivity, the Neptulink has enabled higher scores to be achieved at equal distance than a terminal. While the Neptulink does not provide a significant gain in throughput, the increase in range is significant, with a 103% improvement in the average score and a 218% improvement in the median score compared to results obtained directly from smartphones.
