My name is William Dahl and I'm a member of the Coverage Crew, part of the Coverage Crew, Metricell’s specialist test and measurement team. I’ve been with the company since October 2025.
What does a typical day look like for you?
A day when testing (typically 3 or 4 days a week) generally consists of waking up early to get to somewhere (usually London). I would’ve converted floorplans and set up the equipment the night before. Most commonly we conduct surveys for office blocks, hospitals or construction sites, some of which have some impressive views over the London skyline.
When in the office, I often write existing coverage reports for the same work I would have done on previous days. This involves adjusting some code which decodes the data from the surveys, making a PowerPoint containing the report.
What are some of the key responsibilities in your role?
My main responsibilities are the actual surveys, ensuring the tests are conducted correctly and contain all the correct channels, as well as ensuring continuous wave test points provide sufficient coverage. This ensures the report can paint a picture about the needs of the building in terms of coverage and capacity.
What skills or qualities do you think are most important in your job?
Having studied electronic engineering, I have a good understanding of how radio frequencies attenuate (travel) and approximately what decibel levels to expect in which areas. This has helped me to notice if the equipment hasn't been set up correctly, or if it needed to be moved to a different location to provide more coverage. I also have experience coding, which makes writing the reports slightly easier and also allows me to write some code to help with other tasks. A more obvious skill is being strong enough to carry the equipment, the bag’s heavy!
What impact does your work have on the public?
Most of the surveys I have conducted have been on behalf of different tower companies. Through our testing, we provide a clear picture of the coverage needs for the sites we attend which are used to design new systems for these buildings, providing the public with greater coverage.
Is there a part of your role that people might be surprised to learn about?
I think people would be interested to know the range of places we have surveyed. From the fanciest private hospitals and high-end law offices, to construction sites where we are getting cold and dirty. I will have a moment of tourism in some of these as I appreciate a good view of London.
Can you give an example of a project where you felt your work made a real difference?
One of my earliest projects was a very fancy private hospital in London. I remember the nurses complaining about the signal, and how it actively affected their work. They all seemed excited at the thought of getting better coverage, and I’m sure everyone would like to make nurses jobs a little easier, so that felt nice.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I enjoy the problem-solving aspects of the role, whether I’m working on a one-off project in the office, or going to a site and finding the most efficient way to complete the task. I also enjoy the physical challenge as some of the buildings have tight deadlines, meaning we are often working, carrying the heavy kit, and getting close to 30,000 steps. It is very rewarding to finish a task knowing that without your hard work it wouldn’t have been finished.
What motivates you on a day-to-day basis?
The main motivation is the Coverage Crew team. Everyone has a similar attitude towards the work; we all want to get it done to a high standard and help each other to do so.
Have you had any memorable moments during your time here?
A lot. As well as visiting some fascinating buildings, I’ve met some great people, many experts in their fields. One of the many memorable moments was during some work on a building in Victoria, specifically the view from higher up. I will admit, while doing the work, I found myself taking pictures like a tourist.
What’s the team dynamic like where you work?
There’s a strong dynamic of cooperation within the team. Everyone helps everyone else where we can/where it’s needed. This makes some hard deadlines much easier to reach and means we all get on quite well. When going to sites, you spend the whole day or possibly multiple days with the other team member, so it really helps that we all get on very well.
How do you collaborate with others across the business?
We often collaborate with other departments. The easiest example of this is Metricell’s Smart Tools platform, where we work closely with the software developers to create screenshots of different data visualisations to use in our reports.
Another example of collaboration is where we’ve had members of other departments join the team temporarily to conduct surveys to deepen their understanding of the work within Metricell. An example of this could be members of the commercial team, as by joining the consulting team they can better understand what goes into the work they have been commercialising.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
My main hobby is martial arts. I am lucky enough to be able to train and teach for a combined 12 hrs a week.
What are you most looking forward to in your role this year?
Being given opportunities to work with new equipment and learning opportunities with different methods of testing. I look forward to the challenges these will present, as problem solving is what most of us enjoy.
If you could share your favourite thing about your job, what would it be?
The variety of work is a big thing. While primarily carrying out testing, I’ve been able to analyse data, write code, test hardware, write reports and many more things.
