Airport network connectivity has evolved from a luxury service to critical infrastructure, powering essential operations throughout airport terminals across the world. Boingo Wireless, a global leader in airport distributed antenna systems (DAS), Wi-Fi, and private 5G networks, understands this better than anyone. With a customer portfolio spanning over 130 airports and transportation hubs worldwide, Boingo is transforming the travel experience for both passengers and operations through cutting-edge wireless technologies.

As airports have evolved into smart, hyper-connected hubs, the demand for reliable, high-speed connectivity has skyrocketed. Passengers expect to stream, work, and stay connected during their entire time at an airport, from check-in to takeoff. Additionally, airport operations teams rely on wireless networks to power critical security infrastructure, check-in kiosks, and logistics systems. 

Download the full case study

Check out our full written and video case study to discover how Boingo leverages Ookla’s connectivity insights—including Cell Analytics® for cellular planning and Ekahau® for Wi-Fi design and optimization—to deliver fast, reliable wireless solutions in complex, high-density airports.

Ookla®, the global leader in connectivity intelligence, is pleased to announce it has joined the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). This strategic partnership reinforces Ookla’s commitment to advancing global network testing standards and methodologies.

“As a member of ETSI, Ookla and Rootmetrics look forward to bringing our expertise in controlled drive testing to ETSI and helping to enhance testing methodologies that enable more effective collaboration with customers seeking alignment with ETSI standards.” – Chris Miller, VP, Service Product Manager, Ookla.

RootMetrics by Ookla® delivers real-world mobile network insights through controlled drive and walk testing with off-the-shelf smartphones purchased from carrier stores. With over a decade of experience in controlled testing methodology, RootMetrics’ holistic testing approach is designed to replicate the end-user’s experience in the real world.

Ookla will actively participate in the ETSI community to help shape standards for next-generation controlled testing, particularly as networks evolve through Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), 5G Standalone (5G SA), and 6G technology.

This membership represents Ookla’s commitment to advancing the telecommunications industry through standardization and collaboration.

Ookla® has formed a strategic collaboration with Deloitte, bringing together Ookla’s industry-leading connectivity intelligence with Deloitte’s global consulting expertise. This partnership aims to revolutionize telecommunications network performance worldwide.

The combination of Ookla’s connectivity insights and Deloitte’s services creates a synergy that significantly enhances their joint offerings. With this alliance, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of network performance, make informed strategy decisions, and improve the end-user experience for countless users across the globe.  

“At Ookla, our mission is to provide industry-leading network intelligence that empowers organizations,” said Chip Strange, Chief Strategy Officer at Ookla. “By partnering with Deloitte, we are extending the impact of our insights, enabling clients to make data-driven decisions with greater confidence.”

Key benefits of the collaboration between Ookla and Deloitte include performance benchmarking for telecom providers, broadband connectivity reporting for governments, and data-driven investment insights for telecommunications infrastructure providers.

“Deloitte’s Telecom Network Engineering consulting services, now strengthened by Ookla’s comprehensive network intelligence, help optimize networks and drive better connectivity outcomes,” said Pedro Tavares, Deloitte Portugal Cyber & Telecom Networks Lead Partner.

More than 109,000 industry leaders from 205 countries and territories around the globe gathered in Barcelona, Spain earlier this month for Mobile World Congress, as the annual confab shined a light on some of the latest advancements in mobile technology. Many members of the Ookla team were in Barcelona for MWC and here are the top takeaways that we observed:

The buzz about AI is at an all-time high

Not surprisingly, much of the chatter on the convention hall floor was about AI and the many ways the technology will support communications networks. For example, using AI to enhance the performance of the RAN, also known as AI RAN, was a hot topic at the show with SoftBank, Nvidia and other members of the AI-RAN Alliance touting their progress with the technology. Ookla Analyst Luke Kehoe noted that the omnipresence of AI seemed to override many of the discussions of 6G.

5G SA will drive enterprise revenue

As Ookla recently noted in this report, the global rollout of 5G standalone (SA) is gaining momentum after a slower-than-expected start. However, Europe, in particular, has been slow to deploy SA, causing a widening to its gap with leaders like the US and China. During the opening keynote address at MWC, GSMA Director General Mats Granryd said that as of December 2024, 60 operators had deployed SA and were offering commercial services. The GSMA predicts that SA will drive 70% of all enterprise revenue expansion until 2030, representing a $127B opportunity for the industry.

5G use cases are shifting toward the enterprise

With more operators deploying 5G SA, there’s a noticeable shift toward using 5G for B2B-focused applications such as logistics, manufacturing and public safety instead of consumer-facing applications.
Public safety, in particular, appears to be a promising use case for 5G SA-based slicing, with multiple demos drawing inspiration from T-Mobile’s ‘T-Priority’ first responder solution in the U.S. Similarly, Vodafone announced the launch of a mission critical emergency service called MCx that is intended for first responders in Europe.

The role of NTNs gains momentum

Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and the possibility that the convergence of satellite and cellular networks will result in true, ubiquitous coverage continues to attract a lot of interest in the industry. Panels on NTN were filled to capacity. T-Mobile’s Chief Network Officer Ankur Kapoor touted the company’s arrangement with SpaceX’s Starlink to offer a direct to device (D2D) service, telling Fierce Network that the service now has hundreds of thousands of customers signed up. In addition, Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile announced that they plan to create SatCo, a company that will deliver space-based broadband to mobile operators. Plus there was also some discussions on the sidelines of the show about Europe’s IRIS² satellite constellation as a potential competitor to Starlink.

Policy discussions were front-and-center

While it isn’t uncommon for regulators and regulatory policy discussions to be part of the MWC, there have been many years when these discussions received little attention. However, that was not true this year. European telecom executives used their opening main-stage addresses to opine about regulation rather than innovation. It’s clear that Europe’s upcoming Digital Networks Act, while welcomed by telcos, will require a lot of support to increase 5G SA deployments and meet coverage targets. Separately, the EU’s Digital Services Act was a topic brought up by the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr. Speaking at MWC, Carr told the audience that the agency will defend the interests of America’s technology companies against what he believes is “excessive” European regulation, particularly with respect to free speech.

Here’s a closer look at Ookla’s MWC experience:

Ookla® has formed a strategic partnership with HEAVY.AI, bringing together Ookla’s industry-leading connectivity intelligence with HEAVY.AI’s GPU-accelerated analytics platform. This collaboration aims to transform how organizations visualize and analyze network performance data at scale.

The combination of Ookla’s network insights and HEAVY.AI’s high-performance computing capabilities creates a synergy that significantly enhances their joint offerings. With this alliance, organizations can process multi-terabyte datasets in real time, uncover patterns in complex data, and make faster, more informed decisions about network optimization.

“At Ookla, our mission is to provide unparalleled network intelligence to help improve global connectivity,” said Chip Strange, Chief Strategy Officer at Ookla. “Partnering with HEAVY.AI allows us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in network analytics, enabling our customers to make faster, smarter decisions that can drive meaningful improvements in network performance, consumer experiences, and better business outcomes.”

Key benefits of the collaboration between Ookla and HEAVY.AI include optimizing infrastructure investments for 5G deployment and fiber rollouts, enhancing consumer experience with real-time insights, and accelerating network diagnostics by processing billions of data points in milliseconds.

“HEAVY.AI’s mission is to redefine how organizations interact with large-scale geospatial and time-series datasets,” said Todd Mostak, Founder and CEO of HEAVY.AI. “By partnering with Ookla, we are giving telecommunications providers the ability to analyze and visualize complex network performance data faster than ever before, allowing them to proactively address challenges and capitalize on opportunities in real time.”

The partnership’s integrated solution is available immediately for network operators, government entities, and other organizations who need real-time network insights.

APC Towers, a national tower developer operating across 37 states, partners with Ookla® to optimize their tower site selection and development process. In our new white paper, learn how APC Towers uses Cell Analytics™ and Speedtest Insights™ data to identify underserved markets, showcase competitive advantages, and build stronger partnerships with mobile network operators (MNOs).

Read on for key highlights from the white paper, or download the complete version for an in-depth look at APC Towers’ data-driven approach to site selection.

Custom solutions backed by real-world performance metrics

APC Towers analyzes Speedtest Insights data to develop targeted solutions for MNOs based on their unique network challenges. By examining detailed performance metrics, they can propose strategic tower placements that directly address carrier-specific issues around speed, latency, and capacity.

Visualizing opportunities through network intelligence 

Using Cell Analytics and Speedtest Insights, APC Towers creates compelling visualizations that demonstrate the value of their tower locations. The white paper showcases two case studies where Ookla’s data validated expansion opportunities: one justifies adding a new tower to an underserved Los Angeles community, while the other identifies potential tenants for an existing tower in Hartsville, Indiana.

Strategic market analysis through network performance data 

By importing geospatial data into Cell Analytics and analyzing real-time performance metrics, APC Towers identifies high-value deployment opportunities. This data-driven approach allows them to show MNOs exactly where new tower deployments would deliver the strongest impact on network coverage and user experience.

Want to learn more about how network intelligence drives strategic tower deployment? Download the white paper for the complete analysis, including detailed use cases and insights from both APC Towers and Ookla.