Ofcom tarts up telco report with pretty coverage maps

Ofcom has published the first of its triennial reports on the UK's communications infrastructure, but more importantly there are pretty maps too. The regulator is required to provide a detailed study of the UK's telecommunications to the Ministry of Fun every three years. The report is supposed to include details of what …

[Liam Thom]

Congratulations

...on ticking a box.

[Anonymous Coward]

even if the resolution is low to the point of uselessness

Are we looking at the same websites? I'm looking specifically at http://sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/search and have just changed my mind about who my next service provider will be! based on Transmitters near where I live and work..

From what I've seen its going to be very useful.

[Bill Ray]

Re: even if the resolution is low to the point of uselessness

Sitefinder has been around for ten years and is very detailed, but these days it's also very inaccurate as Everything Everywhere (Orange/T-Mobile) won't provide any data.

The other maps offer a resolution restricted to counties, so aren't very helpful.

I'd be hesitant to rely on Sitefinder for cell site information, but operators' own coverage checkers are pretty accurate.

Bill.

[Anonymous Coward]

Broadband Coverage

Their broadband coverage uses regions so large it is next to useless. By mapping in this way the populations of large cities and the good broadband coverage in these cities masks the problems in the surrounding less populated areas areas.

[Goffee]

Yay for Virgin Media on that chart! What was the govt's position on monopolies?

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean the privately funded and built Virgin Media Network?

They can allow/refuse who they like on their network, and at the minute that is no-one else allowed.

BT was publicly funded and when it was sokd into private hands it had certain strings attached.

[John Smith 19]

Presumably if this is the baseline

The only way is up.

[JMB]

Coverage

I looked at the DAB coverage map, it is useless.

They have averaged out over the whole of the Highlands at 71%. You would be hard pushed to find anywhere in Fort William where you cannot receive DAB but it shows as 71% which is exactly the same as somewhere in the Highlands with no coverage at all.

[CPC]

what a waste of our money....

ditto Wales.

[David Travers]

So 3g coverage is useless

So as we all already knew 3G coverage is useless in the UK! I went to Finland a few years ago and everywhere had 3G! even in the middle of nowhere i had a good 3G signal

[Anonymous Coward]

Sitefinder

Weren't Ofcom siding with t-mobile over disclosure of sites by going to court with them to prevent forced publication?

[Bill Ray]

Re: Sitefinder

Oh yes, indeed they did. Ofcom argued on the side of T-Mobile against the Information Commissioner, and the matter is now going to the EU courts:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/03/lapdog_ofcom/

...I did make one mistake: T-Mobile's data was last updated in 2005, not 2007, but at least it looks pretty these days.

Bill.

[CowardlyAndrew]

3G when it works

Beyond the averaging, even in places like Oxford and London you come across cell towers that refuse to operate on 3G, dropping to Edge and then without moving the phone/dongle it switches up to 3G+

Cell tower switching is a real pain on even commuter train services, hands up if anyone elses a get spot just south of Clapham Junction.