The gr8signal application is all about giving consumers access to the signal quality within South Africa in as simple manner as possible. The intention is to assist users in making an informed decision with regards to selecting the best cellular provider for their requirements, area of use etc in a way which has a significant impact on their individual signal experience.

This is achieved by collecting and assessing data on signal quality via an application that is installed on South African cell phones. Once a user has installed and initiated the application it will continuously measure the actual signal in the background. At the same time, it will also record and plot the type of Internet connectivity that the user is experiencing at a specific location. This data is then uploaded to the gr8signal’s servers (by default over WiFi only). The collected data is collated and plotted on the gr8signal website (www.gr8signal.co.za) where it is graphically represented in an easy to understand and meaningful manner.

As phones measure signal differently, with some not providing even signal bars, we have chosen standardised the signal bars quantity using the formula below.

Less than 91dBm as 1 bar
Between 89dBm and 75 dBm as 2 bars
Between 73dBm and 59 dBm as 3 bars
Greater than 57 dBm as 4 bars

This is also used for the odometer chart where each bar is equal to 25%.

This application has been developed by LucidView (Pty) Ltd and MyBroadband.co.za