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back to article UK not-spot deal: When we said '2017’, we meant 1 DAY BEFORE 2018

While the initial “not-spots” deal looked vague and woolly, the latest communication from Ofcom shows that there is at least some engineering nous in the background. The crux of the matter is that the operators have now been given some actual numbers (PDF) to define coverage: The Licensee shall, by no later than 31 December …

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  1. dogged

    Coverage as listed by whom?

    I'm with O2. Their coverage map show "Good indoors and outdoors" for 2G around my house. There is no coverage inside and outside is too poor to make a call.

    Back when I used to live near Salisbury Plain, we'd regularly check coverage maps to try to get any signal at all. Orange used to claim full coverage. They had exactly zero coverage. I just checked with a relative and they now claim "excellent" 3G coverage inside and out. There is still exactly no coverage, inside or out.

    So what's the point of asking the operators when they outright lie about it?

    7 0 Reply
    1. Crisp
      Reply Icon

      Re: Coverage as listed by whom?

      If only there were some kind of regulator of the communications industry that could independently verify those figures!

      9 0 Reply
      1. dogged
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        Thumb Up

        Re: Coverage as listed by whom?

        @Crisp

        That would be wonderful. It'll never happen though.

        4 0 Reply
      2. Roland6 Silver badge
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        Re: Coverage as listed by whom?

        Well a step in the right direction would be to formally recognise the databases being created by third-party apps such as OpenSignal, inViu OpenCellID, GSM Signal Monitoring. Whilst not perfect,these do give a better picture of handset user/customer experience of the network coverage claims of the operators.The challenge would be getting similar coverage information about non-phone based mobile broadband (ie. dongles and such like).

        2 0 Reply
    2. leexgx
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      Re: Coverage as listed by whom?

      i wish mobile operators would use Old T-mobile signal coverage map as they showed you in 5 stages (you could ignore the first 1 or 2 if your indoors as it really meant no signal) most coverage maps now are very poor as they show indoor and outdoor or no coverage (3 is the worst for it)

      and as 3 uses a lot of t-mobile masts (well really its a 50/50 share mast with 3/t-mobile) if you was doing a coverage check you used to be better going to t-mobile website to get real coverage for 3 network

      1 0 Reply
  2. Tom 7

    2017

    Anno David Cameron.

    0 0 Reply
  3. John H Woods Silver badge

    By 2017

    If someone promised me something by 17:00, and I didn't get it till 17:59, I would be a lot happier with an apology and an acknowledgement that it was an hour late than I would be with them trying to tell me that not only did they actually mean any time between 17h and 18h, but that everybody knows that's that what it means.

    2 0 Reply
  4. druck Silver badge
    WTF?

    A year late and -30db short

    By 2017 means to me that it will be complete by 31 December 2016, not a year later, and with that signal strength you might as well get out your tin cans and wet string.

    1 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A year late and -30db short

      Those levels are just fine for voice calls. The 3G one is missing an EcNo element though.

      0 0 Reply
  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    !!!!!!

    Weasel words ...

    1 0 Reply

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