Tortoise or Hare? : Quantifying the Effects of Performance on Mobile App Retention

We contribute by quantifying the effect of network latency and battery consumption on mobile app performance and retention, i.e., user’s decisions to continue or stop using apps. We perform our analysis by fusing two large-scale crowdsensed datasets collected by piggybacking on information captured by mobile apps. We find that app performance has an impact in its retention rate. Our results demonstrate that high energy consumption and high latency decrease the likelihood of retaining an app. Conversely, we show that reducing latency or energy consumption does not guarantee higher likelihood of retention as long as they are within reasonable standards of performance. However, we also demonstrate that what is considered reasonable depends on what users have been accustomed to, with device and network characteristics, and app category playing a role. As our second contribution, we develop a model for predicting retention based on performance metrics. We demonstrate the benefits of our model through empirical benchmarks which show that our model not only predicts retention accurately, but generalizes well across application categories, locations and other factors moderating the effect of performance.Peer reviewe

The mitigating role of regulation on the concentric patterns of broadband diffusion. The case of Finland

This article analyzes the role of Finnish regulation in achieving the broadband penetration goals defined by the National Regulatory Authority. It is well known that in the absence of regulatory mitigation the population density has a positive effect on broadband diffusion. Hence, we measure the effect of the population density on the determinants of broadband diffusion throughout the postal codes of Finland via Geographically Weighted Regression. We suggest that the main determinants of broadband diffusion and the population density follow a spatial pattern that is either concentric with a weak/medium/strong strength or non-concentric convex/concave. Based on 10 patterns, we argue that the Finnish spectrum policy encouraged Mobile Network Operators to satisfy ambitious Universal Service Obligations without the need for a Universal Service Fund. Spectrum auctions facilitated infrastructure-based competition via equitable spectrum allocation and coverage obligation delivery via low-fee licenses. However, state subsidies for fiber deployment did not attract investment from nationwide operators due to mobile preference. These subsidies encouraged demand-driven investment, leading to the emergence of fiber consumer cooperatives. To explain this emergence, we show that when population density decreases, the level of mobile service quality decreases and community commitment increases. Hence, we recommend regulators implementing market-driven strategies for 5G to stimulate local investment. For example, by allocating the 3.5 GHz and higher bands partly through local light licensing.Comment: Accepted manuscrip

State of Internet Measurement in Africa - A Survey

This paper presents the results of a survey aimed at understanding the status of Internet measurement platforms usage, deployment and capabilities in Africa. It presents findings related to prevalence of measurement in the region, the reasons why the different business categories investigated conduct Internet measurement as well as the metrics of interest to these entities. The survey also looked at the popular measurement platforms that the respondents use in their measurement activities as well as the platforms that are hosted by businesses and users in the African region. The survey also recorded responses related to data handling and privacy considerations. A total of 123 responses were received from 34 countries. The survey revealed that Internet measurements are not widely conducted in the region largely due to the inadequacy of deployed measurement platforms, the lack of awareness in the subject, and the lack of relevant skills to carry out the measurement tasks. We outlined some recommendations to remedy these issues

Analysis of the Impact of Performance on Apps Retention

The non-stopping expansion of mobile technologies has produced the swift increase of smartphones with higher computational power, and sophisticated sensing and communication capabilities have provided the foundations to develop apps on the move with PC-like functionality. Indeed, nowadays apps are almost everywhere, and their number has increased exponentially with Apple AppStore, Google Play and other mobile app marketplaces offering millions of apps to users. In this scenario, it is common to find several apps providing similar functionalities to users. However, only a fraction of these applications has a long-term survival rate in app stores. Retention is a metric widely used to quantify the lifespan of mobile apps. Higher app retention corresponds to higher adoption and level of engagement. While existing scientific studies have analysed mobile users' behaviour and support the existence of factors that influence apps retention, the quantification about how do these factors affect long-term usage is still missing. In this thesis, we contribute to these studies quantifying and modelling one of the critical factors that affect app retention: performance. We deepen the analysis of performance based on two key-related variables: network connectivity and battery consumption. The analysis is performed by combining two large-scale crowdsensed datasets. The first includes measurements about network quality and the second about app usage and energy consumption. Our results show the benefits of data fusion to introduce richer contexts impossible of being discovered when analysing data sources individually. We also demonstrate that, indeed, high variations of these variables together and individually affect the likelihood of long-term app usage. But also, that retention is regulated by what users consider reasonable standards of performance, meaning that the improvement of latency and energy consumption does not guarantee higher retention. To provide further insights, we develop a model to predict retention using performance-related variables. Its accuracy in the results allows generalising the effect of performance in long-term usage across categories, locations and moderating variables

Assessment of wireless solutions in emerging broadband markets

Although broadband markets have grown steadily since the advent of the mobile Internet, penetration levels for developing countries are far from reaching the ordinary citizen. This thesis analyses three hypotheses as bottlenecks to the growth of emerging mobile broadband markets: (i) the low competence of users, (ii) the low quality of service, (iii) the high access price and, based on the results, alternative wireless solutions are studied to accelerate the Internet diffusion. Bottleneck hypotheses are evaluated through a quantitative bottleneck analysis that includes measured mobile QoS levels and macroeconomic indicators from a total of 9 cities including emerging (6) and advanced markets (3). Provided that low quality of service and data prices are identified as the main bottlenecks, a qualitative value network analysis evaluates wireless access technologies, caching technologies, collaborative business environments and, operator revenue models seeking a cost-effective solution. As a result, the thesis concludes that the affordability of broadband Internet is limited, in the first place, by the least cost-effective network technology (network costs need to be minimized), secondly by the level of competition in the market (profits of operators need to be minimized), and finally by business models of operators which could include subsidies from advertisers, content providers, governments, or implement a freemium model (access prices are minimized)

Survey of End-to-End Mobile Network Measurement Testbeds, Tools, and Services

Mobile (cellular) networks enable innovation, but can also stifle it and lead to user frustration when network performance falls below expectations. As mobile networks become the predominant method of Internet access, developer, research, network operator, and regulatory communities have taken an increased interest in measuring end-to-end mobile network performance to, among other goals, minimize negative impact on application responsiveness. In this survey we examine current approaches to end-to-end mobile network performance measurement, diagnosis, and application prototyping. We compare available tools and their shortcomings with respect to the needs of researchers, developers, regulators, and the public. We intend for this survey to provide a comprehensive view of currently active efforts and some auspicious directions for future work in mobile network measurement and mobile application performance evaluation.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials. arXiv does not format the URL references correctly. For a correctly formatted version of this paper go to http://www.cs.montana.edu/mwittie/publications/Goel14Survey.pd

Modeling Mobile Code Acceleration in the Cloud

Peer reviewe

Analysis of User Experience in Mobile Video Watching Scenarios

Mobiilin videon katselu on mobiilin verkkoliikenteen suurimpia kasvattajia. Lisäksi niin mobiiliverkon kuin mobiilien päätelaitteiden teknologia on kehittynyt niin pitkälle, että omalla älypuhelimella on mahdollista seurata teräväpiirtoisia videolähetyksiä verkon yli. Nämä asettavat haasteita käyttäjäkokemukselle. Tämän diplomityön tarkoituksena on tutkia seikkoja, jotka vaikuttavat mobiilin videonkatselun käyttäjäkokemukseen sekä perehtyä yleisesti käyttäjäkokemukseen, palvelun ja kokemuksen laadun käsitteisiin. Tavoitteena oli myös luoda teoreettinen malli sille, miten käyttäjäkokemusta voidaan mallintaa ottamatta käyttäjä ja hänen näkökulmaa mukaan tutkimusprosessiin. Työssä kehitettiin kolmijakoinen malli kuvaamaan mobiilin videonkatselun käyttäjäkokemuksen laatua teknisestä, verkon ja käyttäjän näkökulmasta. Mallista otettiin teknisen ulottuvuuden osalta lähempään tarkasteluun bittinopeuden, viiveen ja näiden vaihtelun pohjalle luotu matemaattinen malli, jota testattiin skenaarioanalyysin voimin. Tämän mallin pääpaino on kirjallisuustutkimuksen perustella tärkeäksi havaittu bittinopeus. Skenaariot olivat paikallaololle, liikkeelle hyvissä verkko-olosuhteissa ja liikkeelle huonoissa verkko-olosuhteissa ja mittausdata saatiin nettitutka sovelluksesta, jonka avulla mitataan verkkoyhteyksien laatua käyttäjien keräämän datan avulla. Malli ennusti hyvää käyttäjäkokemusta niin paikalla- kuin liikkeelläololle suotuisissa verkko-olosuhteissa ja heikkoa käyttäjäkokemusta haastaviin verkko-olosuhteisiin.Mobile data traffic grows rapidly each passing year and the biggest contributor to this trend is mobile video watching. Additionally, mobile technologies both in network and end-user device sector have evolved quickly in the passing years allowing users to watch even high quality and high definition video streams from their mobile devices. However, since there are limits to bandwidth, this creates challenges for user experience. The purpose of this thesis is to find out which factors affect user experience in mobile video watching scenarios. Second purpose was creating a model based on what was found in the academic literature to describe user experience in mobile video watching and help analyse it. Model is three-fold and has dimensions in video and connection’s technical aspects, network and operator aspects as well as in user aspects. User experience model was further specified in a mathematical way to describe bitrate’s and delay’s effect on user experience. These were the aspects, according to the academic literature, that weigh most when watching streamed video online on a mobile device. This mathematical model was tested using scenario analysis where there were three scenarios: stationary, moving with good connection and moving with bad connection. The model forecast excellent or good user experience in the first two scenarios and weak or bad user experience in the last scenario