Hong Kong operator SmarTone has turned to Ericsson to optimise its network for WeChat, the most popular social networking app in China and boasting an estimated 650 million monthly active users worldwide.

Ericsson said it is improving the performance of the app with its app experience optimisation service, which it upgraded to generate a real-time “app coverage map”. The map provides a visual representation of users’ experience using WeChat.

To meet the demands of the fast-evolving app ecosystem, Ericsson noted that a good user experience is now a key driver of customer loyalty, which operators can influence by optimising the way apps run on their networks.

The service provides a clear picture of the local app experience and correlates that with network-related key performance indicators (KPIs), Ericsson said in a statement. Its network design and optimisation experts then optimise for app experience, drawing upon its global experience.

Ericsson is working with SmarTone and Tencent to collect WeChat service KPIs based on anonymised usage performance and location from real subscribers, and correlating them with network KPIs.