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3
STUDY SAMPLE
A sample representing the use of these services in Mainland Portugal was chosen for a proper
assessment of the quality of Voice (GSM), Video-telephony (UMTS) and Network Coverage (GSM and
UMTS) services.
3.1
TESTED AREAS
This study aims to assess the quality of the services provided by mobile networks, as it is perceived by
consumers. It would be thus be desirable to conduct measurements in all location where this type of
communications is or could be provided, at the limit, considering the whole of Portugal’s geographical
area, including the interior of buildings. Understandably, making tests on all these locations is
unfeasible.
However, the purpose is not to make exhaustive measures, but to collect an adequate sample that can
be used as an indicator of the networks’ overall performance. In this sense, locations where the service
is more intensely used were chosen, i.e., the larger urban agglomerations and the major roads.
However, the exclusive adoption of this criterion would lead to an excessive concentration of
measurements in the coastline’s most densely populated areas, and therefore, besides this criterion, we
decided to consider a geographical distribution of the locations, as a way to contemplate inland regions.
Thus, tests were made in all of the country’s district capitals, thereby broadening the collection area to
the greatest Lisbon and Porto areas, and also to the major roads of Mainland Portugal.
The population of the urban agglomerations that make up the selected sample stand for 41.7% of the
Portuguese population, according to the results of the last Census (2001).
Survey of Voice, Video-telephony and Network Coverage Services / Nov.-Dec. 2006
23
Table 3 – Locations and corresponding population.
Territorial Unit
Resident Population
Present Population
Total
73,136
35,659
163,981
34,689
55,909
148,122
56,359
57,151
43,759
119,319
25,814
63,418
113,480
88,409
49,928
93,259
1,222,392
76,415
37,001
165,048
37,170
56,280
159,039
58,564
59,527
44,593
119,065
26,511
63,106
112,227
86,355
52,129
93,041
1,246,071
Total
262,928
163,462
119,718
166,275
287,597
999,980
266,790
159,547
117,539
162,671
280,466
987,013
Total
556,797
174,788
168,827
198,685
160,147
363,556
159,550
150,095
132,971
2,065,416
559,248
169,507
166,539
193,320
157,152
351,976
156,746
146,843
130,569
2,031,900
Overall Total
4,287,788
4,264,984
Aveiro
Beja
Braga
Bragança
Castelo Branco
Coimbra
Évora
Faro
Guarda
Leiria
Portalegre
Santarém
Setúbal
Viana do Castelo
Vila Real
Viseu
Greater Porto
Porto
Gondomar
Maia
Matosinhos
Vila Nova de Gaia
Greater Lisbon
Lisbon
Amadora
Cascais
Loures
Oeiras
Sintra
Almada
Seixal
Odivelas
Source: INE - Instituto Nacional de Estatística
24
QoS - Mobile Networks and Services / GSM-UMTS
Table 4 – Major Roads
Approximate Distance (Km)
Major Roads
Lisbon-Cascais-Sintra-Lisbon (A5 / IC19)
Lisbon-Porto (A1)
Oeiras-Castelo Branco-Guarda (A9 / A1 / A23)
Lisbon-Vila Real de Sto. António (A2 / A22)
Vila Real de Sto. António-Faro-Lagos (EN 125)
Lisbon-Évora-Elvas (A2 / A6)
Lisbon-Leiria (A8)
Porto-Braga-Valença-Viana do Castelo-Porto (A3 / IC1)
Porto-Bragança (A4 / IP4)
Aveiro-Viseu-Vilar Formoso (IP5 / A25)
Vila Real-Figueira da Foz (IP3 / A24 / A14)
Total
3.2
60
325
330
320
130
210
140
240
240
200
215
2,410
SAMPLE SIZE
Table 5 – Sample, for the three analyzed operators.
Urban Agglomerations
Hours of
Measurements
Aveiro
Beja
Braga
Bragança
Castelo Branco
Coimbra
Évora
Faro
Guarda
Leiria
Portalegre
Santarém
Setúbal
Viana do Castelo
Vila Real
Viseu
Greater Porto
Greater Lisbon
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
18
36
Major Roads
Urban Agglomerations Total
Lisbon-Cascais-Sintra-Lisbon (A5 / IC19)
Lisbon-Porto (A1)
Oeiras-Castelo Branco-Guarda (A9 / A1 / A23)
Lisbon-Vila Real de Sto. António (A2 / A22)
Vila Real de Sto. António-Faro-Lagos (EN125)
Lisbon-Évora-Elvas (A2 / A6)
Lisbon-Leiria (A8)
Porto-Braga-Valença-Viana do Castelo-Porto (A3 / IC1)
Porto-Bragança (A4 / IP4)
Aveiro-Vilar Formoso (IP5 / A25)
Vila Real-Figueira da Foz (IP3 / A24 / A14)
Video-telephony
Calls
Coverage Measurements
GSM
WCDMA
Measurements
in Kilometers
24
08
08
19
08
28
08
08
19
11
13
17
11
06
11
23
23
08
380
359
361
372
359
375
363
362
372
362
364
368
365
360
364
378
1,082
2,129
331
311
316
324
314
328
320
314
330
321
316
320
311
316
321
323
936
1,851
70,488
66,808
66,925
68,269
67,616
70,272
66,760
67,339
68,416
67,823
67,808
68,750
67,940
65,866
67,303
69,133
200,251
396,048
27,787
25,107
26,349
27,232
25,533
27,692
22,429
23,200
26,355
26,522
26,618
26,591
26,135
26,138
26,439
26,983
78,653
151,672
185
123
204
155
129
191
133
105
154
139
112
173
128
129
138
190
532
793
154 h 13
9,075
7,903
1,683,815
647,435
3,713
385
384
393
393
278
234
177
298
341
218
304
340
338
346
338
244
201
153
253
296
193
268
71,635
71,308
72,022
71,945
51,939
43,490
32,691
54,911
62,442
40,451
55,300
28,217
27,293
23,107
27,954
20,031
15,830
12,602
21,859
24,563
16,091
21,573
342
657
663
640
263
421
292
484
484
401
429
6
6
6
6
4
4
3
5
5
3
5
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
Voice Calls
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
h
35
35
45
41
47
00
01
05
47
46
07
Major Roads Totaç
58 h 09
3,405
2,970
628,134
239,120
5,076
Overall Total
212 h 22
12,480
10,873
2,311,949
886,555
8,789
Survey of Voice, Video-telephony and Network Coverage Services / Nov.-Dec. 2006
25
3.3
DATA COLLECTION CONDITIONS
The field work took place on working days between 13 November and 20 December.
In the Greater Lisbon and Greater Porto regions, measurement sessions were made from 8h00 to
12h00 and from 16h00 to 20h00. In the remaining urban agglomerations, measurement sessions were
made during normal hours on working days.
On each major road, data collection was made in two series of runs, except for the A5/IC19 route,
where several runs were made along one day (6h30).
26
QoS - Mobile Networks and Services / GSM-UMTS