Background
The University of Oklahoma’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Capstone program partnered with Ookla for Good™ to give graduating engineering students access to real-world network performance data. This collaboration builds on a 2025 project between Ookla and the university, where students used connectivity data to analyze global network challenges.
In this latest project, students worked with Ookla’s open datasets to identify connectivity gaps, analyze performance patterns, and develop recommendations to improve network performance in real-world scenarios.
Capstone projects represent a critical step in the engineering curriculum. Students move beyond structured coursework and take ownership of open-ended problems that require technical knowledge, teamwork, and communication. The goal is to prepare graduates for the expectations of the workforce, where problems rarely come with predefined solutions.
Using Ookla’s data, students saw firsthand how networks actually perform across different regions and user environments. Instead of relying on controlled examples or simulations, students worked with data that reflected real-world network behavior.
The Challenge
Many capstone projects in electrical and computer engineering focus on building physical systems such as circuits, embedded devices, or prototypes. Those projects typically center on designing and building a specific system or device.
In contrast, this project allowed students to expand beyond that model and analyze real-world connectivity performance data at scale. The work gave students experience interpreting network performance, identifying patterns in large datasets, and connecting technical findings to real-world conditions—areas that are not typically emphasized in traditional engineering coursework. Students translated their analysis into concrete findings and recommendations.
Students as Connectivity Consultants
Access to Ookla for Good’s open datasets gave students the ability to work with large-scale measurements of broadband and mobile performance. The data is generated by millions of Speedtest® results from users testing their internet performance across a wide range of devices. These real-world measurements provide a detailed view of how connectivity varies across locations, networks, and devices.
The project placed students in the role of connectivity consultants. Students developed and applied a structured analysis framework to guide their work, ultimately translating their analysis into concrete findings and recommendations. The process included evaluating geographic performance patterns, examining how connectivity changes over time, and assessing how infrastructure and population factors influence connectivity performance.
“The Capstone Design course is about giving students the opportunity to work through real engineering problems from start to finish. Access to Ookla’s data allowed students to move beyond theory and engage with how networks actually perform, which is an important part of preparing them for work in the field.”
— Dr. Cliff Fitzmorris, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Oklahoma
Results and Impact
Students came away with skills that many engineering capstone projects don’t develop: interpreting performance variation, validating findings, and communicating technical results in terms of practical, relatable outcomes rather than just specs on a page. Employers are increasingly hiring for exactly these skills.
In one notable example, students analyzing mobile performance in Vietnam identified a significant spike in download speeds between Q3 and Q4 of 2024. Because the dataset didn’t include device technology models, students drew on industry knowledge to approximate cellular technology generations and tie the performance jump to their own estimated infrastructure deployment in the region.
For Ookla for Good, the project with the university proves that open connectivity data can drive real insight far outside the boundaries of traditional network research, from humanitarian efforts to community initiatives to university classrooms.
For the University of Oklahoma, the collaboration expands the scope of capstone work to include large-scale data analysis alongside traditional engineering disciplines. The methodologies and tools students built won’t disappear when the semester ends; future students and researchers can build on them.
About Ookla for Good
Ookla for Good is a philanthropic initiative from Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband network intelligence and the company behind Speedtest®. The program provides data, analysis, and expertise to organizations working to improve lives through better connectivity.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
