Verizon “Test Force” braves the high seas to ensure reliability for customers

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - The Verizon Test Force, a nationwide team of wireless engineers and technicians, are obsessed with providing an exceptional network experience for Verizon customers, and stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. A specialized group of Verizon’s Test Force, called RF Hunters, searches high and low to find stray Radio Frequency (RF) signals that cause interference with customers’ service.

That was the motivation behind engineer Tom O’Keefe’s recent hunting adventure to Neah Bay in Cape Flattery, Washington. With reports of interrupted service on the rise, Tom grabbed his hunting gear – a specialized RF signal finder – and went to work to identify and eliminate the interference for his customers.

Radio waves ride over spectrum (think of spectrum like lanes on a highway in the sky), and the US government grants licenses to ensure people are using those lanes of spectrum for their intended purpose. From time to time, unauthorized RF signals appear in licensed spectrum bands and interfere with the operations in those bands. (To build on the analogy - it would be the equivalent of driving in the wrong lane and holding up the traffic that should be there.) The result? Signal interference and an inability for customers nearby to use their wireless devices.

Enter Verizon RF Hunters.

When these unauthorized stray interference signals appear, our RF Hunters, maniacal in their desire to provide Verizon’s very best possible experience for customers, use specialized equipment to hunt down the signal, and then work with the originator of the signal to shut it down, restoring clear, reliable service.

That hunt took Tom to the coast of Seattle, where he found the stray RF signal. It originated from an old repeater on a local tugboat. The undauntable RF Hunter worked with the harbormaster to locate the boat owner and quickly turn off the unauthorized signals.

Verizon engineers are obsessed with connecting their customers, and keeping them connected in moments big and small. They live and work in the same places their customers do. They shop at the same stores, visit the same parks, attend the same football games, boat in the same ocean and work in the same offices. They share the experience their customers share, so engineers are working every day, relentlessly, to make the Verizon network even better than it was the day before.

Take the network for a test drive

If you aren’t a Verizon customer yet and want the Verizon Test Force on your side, relentlessly providing you with reliable, fast and secure service, sign up for Verizon Free Trial and get unlimited premium data on 5G Ultra Wideband, our fastest 5G network for 30 days for free, without disrupting your existing service. Simply download the My Verizon app (iOS or Android) on your unlocked phone and start your Free Trial today. When you’re ready to switch, check out MyPlan and pick the 5G Unlimited plan that’s right for you and choose your favorite content and services to bundle with it and save.