Published: Monday 28th November 2016
EE has called upon rival mobile phone networks to provide "greater clarity" on the issue of signal coverage.
EE has called upon rival mobile phone networks to provide "greater clarity" on the issue of signal coverage.
At the moment, most operators cite the percentage of population but not how much of the UK's landmass they cover.
EE said that from January it will clearly cite that its geographic coverage on its website and adverts. Industry regulator of Ofcom has called on operators to improve coverage on transport lines and in remote locations.
Most mobile operators in the UK have rates up to 99% coverage - but these figures are based on the number of premises that have connectivity. Given that a large number of people works and lives in urban areas, where coverage tends to be good, the percentage is high.
But it does not reflect the way in which a large part of the country as a whole receives a signal, and therefore not the likelihood of experiencing signal dropout on the move or working outdoors. "Our view is that the industry needs to be clearer on coverage, and geographic is the most important metric," said EE's CEO Marc Allera. "These are mobile devices. People expect them to work outside of where they live and work."
This article is a summary; the source article is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38076474