Ofcom introduces maps for UK comms coverage

Ofcom have announced the launch of maps in the UK which show the coverage enjoyed in different parts of the country, including mobile and mobile broadband.

The maps make up a part of the regulator’s initial report on the UK communications infrastructure, and are based on information from telecoms providers.

Ofcom are now required to provide a report to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport every three years and the report will also refer to the “coverage and capacity of the UK’s landline network, digital radio and TV.”

The regulator said in a press release that they are “working closely with the government” to ensure that the £150 million fund intended to address mobile not-spots delivers “the greatest benefits for UK consumers”.

Currently 66% of the UK landmass can receive a 2G connection from all major networks as well as 97% of all premises in the country.

Ofcom have found that households enjoy considerably better coverage compared with geographic coverage as “mobile providers tend to prioritise investment in network infrastructure where the maximum number of consumers and businesses can be served.”

However, this essentially means that approximately 90,000 UK premises are left in a position where they don’t have a choice in providers due to coverage.

The situation with 3G is worse, with approximately 7.7 million UK premises not having the choice between all five of the major networks.

3G coverage is worse in less densely populated areas with 73% of premises enjoying an outdoor signal, and just 13% of the UK landmass able to receive a 3G signal for all of the five networks.

The worst coverage is found in parts of Scotland and Wales, mostly due to the hilly terrain, which is not well populated.

As smartphones and mobile devices continuing to enjoy enormous success, the demand is only set to increase.

The report shows that not only is the demand for mobile broadband growing, but so is that for fixed line broadband.

Residential customers are becoming more and more data-hungry with the average consumer using 17 GB of data per month.

“This is the equivalent to downloading more than 11 films per month, streaming 12 hours of BBC iPlayer HD video or more than 12 days of streaming audio content,” the regulator says.

Mobile broadband demand is currently averaging around 0.24 GB per month per connection.

Over the past five years, the extra demand is clear as traffic over the London Internet Exchange has increased seven-fold.

The new maps not only show how different areas in the UK rank for broadband coverage, but also that of DTT and DAB coverage.

“Each of the 200 areas of the UK has been ranked according to a score given for coverage and colour coded with green ranking highest and red lowest.”

For TV, the report shows that national coverage for DTT currently stands at 89% and at 91% for DAB public service broadcasting channels.

Ofcom’s Chief Technology Officer, Steve Unger, said: “This is our first report to the Government on the UK’s communications infrastructure.”

“We hope it will be a useful reference point for interested parties, particularly in the light of the recent Government funding package of £150million to help address mobile not-spots.”