Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Verizon test man gauges S. Jersey

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2003 05:10:51 -0400

Sunday, August 24, 2003

Verizon test man gauges S. Jersey

Marty Mislevy, a real-life `Can you hear me now?' guy for Verizon, tests cell
phone service on the road in South Jersey. But don't expect him to speak the
slogan. Computer-generated sentences are used.
Friday, August 22, 2003

But you will not catch him saying: `Can you hear me now?'
By TERESA ANICOLA
Courier-Post Staff

You've seen the commercial - the Verizon Wireless test man walking through the
woods, cellular phone to his ear, taking a few steps and uttering: "Can you hear
me now?"

But did you know the commercials are based on real people and a real job?
For the past 10 years, Verizon has been sending people out in the field to test
its network. There are a few differences, however, between the commercial and
reality.

For one, the test people don't walk - they drive Ford Taurus station wagons
outfitted with $250,000 worth of sophisticated testing equipment. And second, the
testers don't actually ask, "Can you hear me now?"

In their vehicles, baseline technicians drive predetermined routes each week to
collect data on the network.
The wagons function as mobile calling units with phones from Verizon Wireless and
all of its competitors. After all, the tester's job is to compare Verizon's
network quality against the competition.

In South Jersey, the regional test man is Marty Mislevy. You might catch a glimpse
of him driving on congested highways and deserted back roads. You'll know it's
Mislevy if you see a dozen short, stubby antennas sticking out the roof of his
car. Eight of the 12 antennas are dedicated to one of the cellular phones he
tests, offering each phone the best chance to get its own clear signal.

"I can monitor Verizon over each of our competitors," said Mislevy, 39, of
Reading, Pa. "We measure ourselves against our own standards and against the
competition. If a call is dropped, I can tell right here."

Mislevy monitors the calls with a laptop computer from the front seat of his car.
The phones sit in the rear of the wagon and are programmed to automatically place
calls every three minutes. The phone calls last for 2 1/2 minutes during which
automated Harvard sentences are uttered in male and female intonations.

Harvard sentences are sets of sentences that are phonetically balanced. There are
about 500 Harvard sentences, such as "These days, a chicken dinner is a rare
dish."  "The sentences represent all aspects of the human voice, both pitch and
tone, to duplicate anything that may be transmitted across the phone," said
Mislevy. "It's a true test of any sounds the phone will encounter."  The
electronic monitoring system is linked to the company's regional office in
Plymouth Meeting, Pa. The data is analyzed by Mislevy and Verizon Wireless's
system performance engineers to ensure any problems that arise in the network are
quickly solved.

Verizon Wireless is not the only cellular network that tests its systems using
people in the field. Other companies, including Nextel, Sprint PCS and AT&T
Wireless all test their systems in various ways for sound quality, dropped calls
and calls that are hard to place.  Being the Verizon Wireless test man has brought
him a sense of fame among family, friend and neighbors.
"All of a sudden I became the test man," said Mislevy. "All my neighbors and
friends, they all let me know if they're having problems with their phones."

Reach Teresa Anicola at (856) 486-2460 or [email-masked]

http://www.southjerseynews.com/issues/august/b082203a.htm

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