Hello, I am George Gibson, a co-founder at Streetwave. Our two-year-old start-up is a product of the Welsh Government’s charity incubator, The Alacrity Foundation. The organisation researches the biggest challenges facing UK society, and mobile connectivity has been identified as a fundamental part of that.
Streetwave creates maps across the UK that continuously monitor and check the quality of the nation's 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks. Mobile connectivity is an invisible entity. Despite networks being critical to national infrastructure, the UK does not have a complete view of its network coverage performance.
As the Director of Partnerships, my job involves speaking to stakeholders, including central and local governments, to help them identify digitally excluded communities so that interventions can be made. We provide coverage, throughput speed and signal strength insights for all major operators networks including EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. Streetwave has currently mapped mobile coverage across the road networks of around 40 councils.
It is residents, however, who will be the biggest beneficiaries. We also release our coverage insights data to residents and businesses so people can decide which network is best for them by searching their homes or workplaces.
What do you enjoy most about working in this space?
I've really enjoyed seeing the company evolve over the last two years. Our work began with an idea from the central government. After developing the software and building relationships across the industry, we have started to deliver mobile coverage mapping projects that have already covered large sections of the country. It’s been an exciting journey and I’ve learned a lot.
What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve done in the name of work?
Last year we were working with the Bahamas Government and we sent some data collection devices for their employees. However, one of the government officials left them on his desk and they were stolen. Of course, our devices collect geospatial data and the government asked us to track the equipment. We spent a whole day guiding the authorities on their police chase of the thief as the devices moved around the city. It was a wild goose chase. Unfortunately, after a while, the signal dropped – the devices must have run out of power – and the criminals got away!
What excites you most about working in telecoms?
The diversity of what the industry enables. People often see telecoms as boring, but it affects many different aspects of our lives.
What would you like people to know about your work?
We’re constantly learning new use cases for our data, and partnering with others to deliver new outcomes and benefits across society.
Why is a vibrant, flourishing telecoms ecosystem important for the UK?
Improving digital connectivity is vital to unlocking positive outcomes across the UK.
The first is productivity: the average UK worker loses 47 hours of productivity a year due to poor mobile signal. Streetwave is working with partners and people in the industry to reduce this number by ensuring consumers understand the highest-performing mobile networks in the places where they spend time.
Telecoms is also vital for public safety. It allows us to call for help when we find ourselves in accidents. These helplines are necessary for emergency services, but also for vulnerable people living alone such as elderly or disabled members of our society.
Finally, there’s entertainment. Our phones, and therefore telecoms, dominate our leisure time. We use telecoms to watch Netflix, book a holiday and video call a friend. Better connectivity will make it easier to relax. This is important and isn’t spoken about enough.
