P3 Device Services Team Hits the Streets of Rio to Keep Olympic Athletes and Spectators Connected

RIO DE JANEIRO and MORRISTOWN, N.J., July 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- If you're headed to Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games next month and plan to stay connected via your smartphone, P3 has your back.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160718/390816

P3, a leading global consulting, management and engineering services company, has had its device services team on the ground in Rio de Janeiro since early this year conducting driving, walking and stationary tests of 38 of the world's best known smartphones. P3 maintains a global inventory with hundreds of devices and SIM cards from virtually all of the world's network operators. SIM cards tested by P3 in Rio represent network operators from many of the countries participating in this year's Games.

"These assets allow us to efficiently deliver real-life network testing in any location for local roaming operators as well as all other operators," said Ron Housenick, P3 VP-device services. "We are experts in validation of roaming behavior for all major global carriers."

Based out of the company's newest office in Sao Paulo, Brazil, P3's device team has served device manufacturers and network operators in Latin America for more than five years.

Brazilian mobile carrier Claro and landline service provider Embratel estimate that 27 million voice calls will be made and 3 million SMS messages will be sent during the Summer Games. And 3G/4G data traffic is forecast to be 50 percent higher than at the 2012 London Games.

"Local government and carrier efforts to bolster Brazil's 4G LTE network for the Summer Games have been closely followed and widely reported," Housenick said. "What most people may not consider, however, are the real-life issues that can only be identified in the field.  For example, if a visitor's device is not correctly provisioned, calls, messages, apps and data simply won't work in Rio. Lab testing is important, but it's only when we get devices in the field that we can predict the end-to-end, real-life customer experience."

Voice quality, device registration on local networks, and the ability to send and receive text, multimedia and email messages all are being tested on both cellular and Wi-Fi networks. P3 engineers have uncovered a number of issues as they traverse the more than 33 Olympic venues within the city limits, Housenick said.

"Some of the devices we tested took as long as 10 minutes to register on the local mobile networks. Others were not able to send and receive SMS, MMS or voice calls. We also uncovered problems with voicemail applications and interoperability with new technology," he said.

Security is always the top priority for P3 during field operations but Rio presents some extraordinary challenges. Testing in public places is done as inconspicuously as possible and devices are kept under lock and key. One SIM card delivery was delayed when the entire mail truck was stolen.

"Attending the Summer Olympics will be a once in a lifetime experience for many visitors to Rio this year," Housenick said. "We're doing our part to make sure they can confidently communicate on-site and share that experience with friends and family back home. P3 has the expertise, tools and methodologies to detect and prevent device issues to save carriers money, generate more revenue and improve the customer experience."

P3 has more than a decade of experience in testing wireless devices, network quality and service performance around the globe. It is ISO 17025 certified specifically for field testing and recognized as one of the world's top companies for field devices testing and certification.  P3's communications division provides a broad portfolio of independent technical and management consulting services including network planning, engineering, end-to-end optimization, market intelligence, security, QoS and QoE testing and international benchmarking. In addition to wireless carriers and device manufacturers, P3's clients include infrastructure vendors, public safety organizations and regulatory authorities.

About P3 
P3 is a global consulting, management and engineering services company, with a rapidly growing team of more than 3,000 consultants and engineers working to develop and implement innovative solutions to today's complex technology challenges. Offering a broad portfolio of services and proprietary tools to the automotive, aerospace, telecommunications and energy industries, P3 adds tangible value that helps clients succeed at every stage, from innovation to implementation. For more information please visit http://www.p3-group.com.

CONTACT:      
Lynette Viviani
973-534-1004
[email protected]

SOURCE P3 Group

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