Dave Noel · Customer solutions lead · RF engineer · Data storyteller

Professional overthinker of your internet connection.

I find the stories hiding in network data: why people leave their internet provider, what a speed test can say about a hurricane, and why the average is usually lying to you.

By day, I lead customer relationships with some of the largest phone and internet companies in the US, turning their network data into stories executives act on.

Read the stories How I got here
Illustrated avatar of Dave: orange hair, black glasses, dark hoodie
AS SEEN AROUND Webinar speaker Ookla Research contributor OU capstone mentor UH ECE Industry Advisory Board
11years in telecom, from tuning cell sites to telling their stories
70%less time spent on manual analysis after I automated market-launch reporting
3research articles I contributed to, on Wi-Fi 7, cable MVNO speeds, and university connectivity
6student capstone projects mentored on real connectivity data

Data stories

DEEP DIVES WITH CHARTS · EVERY CHART CREDITS ITS SOURCE

Data story · Broadband +20 leader −16.5 competitor

Why do people really leave their internet provider?

Everyone assumed faster speeds keep customers. The data pointed at latency, consistency, and how people feel about fiber.

Read the story → Data story · Houston power out

The data that isn't there

When Hurricane Beryl knocked out power across Houston, did the internet notice? Sometimes the loudest signal is silence.

Read the story → Field notes · RF 1× 2× before after

Doubling speeds without a shovel

A site audit turned up a cable configuration fix. No construction and no new spectrum, and the downlink doubled.

Read the story →

Notes

Shorter essays on data quality, telling stories with numbers, mentoring, and what customer-facing work in tech actually looks like.

Talks

ALL TALKS AND WRITING →

WEBINAR · 2025Why Customers Leave: Preventing Churn WEBINAR · DEC 2025RF 101 for Emerging Wireless Professionals ARTICLE · MAY 2026University students tackle connectivity challenges
About

I was a terrible student.

I started community college in remedial math, reading, and writing. To finish in four years I took 24 credit hours a semester, transferred to the University of Oklahoma, did undergraduate RF research, and ended up teaching Circuits 1, a class I'd failed three times.

Since then I've designed cell sites at T-Mobile, led RF engineering teams at DISH, and now, at Ookla, lead customer relationships with major US phone and internet companies, helping them see what their own customers actually experience. I still remember what it's like not to get the math, which is why I explain it the way I do.

The whole story →