Opensignal, a mobile analytics company, published a recent insight that analyzed smartphone users' experience before cyclone Fani and in its aftermath, showing that reliable communications play a vital role in ensuring an efficient response.
"We measured the proportion of time users took to connect to either a 3G or 4G networks of any mobile operator, for all districts in the state of Odisha, which was the worst-affected region. Our data suggest that Cyclone Fani affected mobile networks primarily in six districts, while users in the rest of the state experienced unchanged levels of mobile network availability", said Francesco Rizzato, Senior Technical Analyst, Opensignal.
The cyclone, which made landfall in the district of Puri, moved inland through Khorda and Cuttack, before continuing towards West Bengal and Bangladesh. Opensignal measured the largest impact on mobile networks in these three districts where the cyclone unleashed powerful winds which revealed that the district of Khorda, witnessed the largest impact on mobile services with smartphone users experiencing the largest service drop due to the storm.
3G/4G Availability decreased from a previous two weeks' average of 92.8 per cent to 63.6 per cent on 4 May. Users in Khorda also experienced the longest recovery period, with mobile services affected for twenty days after the storm hit.
Users in Cuttack witnessed 3G/4G availability decreasing to 69.5 per cent a day after the cyclone made landfall and saw an impact on mobile services for eighteen days. Although a considerable impact was measured in Puri as well, with 3G/4G availability dropping to 71.8 per cent on the worst day, mobile connectivity levels were back to normal after just thirteen days - much more quickly than in the next two inland districts. As the cyclone moved further inland, passing through Dhenkanal, Jajpur, and Bhadrak the impact on mobile connectivity continued to reduce.
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