Ofcom mobile signal checker: New map shows mobile coverage in Deeside for EE, O2, Vodafone and Three’s voice calls, 3G and 4G

How’s your mobile phone signal?

Mobile phone coverage in Deeside is at best a little erratic, it’s a subject that generates a lot of ‘noise’ on social media when networks go TITSUP (Total Inability To Support Usual Performance)

Now you can check your operator’s mobile phone coverage and that of their competitors using a new simple coverage map launched by Ofcom.

Ofcom’s Mobile Coverage Checker provides a single-stop for consumers and businesses across the UK to discover the quality of the mobile coverage in areas where they live and work, or somewhere they intend to move.

Users can zoom to a specific location on a UK map, or simply enter a place name or postcode, to receive data on coverage for each mobile network – down to 100 square metres. The map uses data provided by EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.

Consumers increasingly expect a reliable mobile service. The new map therefore shows where reliable coverage is likely to be available, whatever type of handset is used, using new research by Ofcom into the signal strength needed to provide a good consumer experience.

The map also takes account of the increasing shift from handsets with external aerials to smartphones with internal aerials, which can sometimes be less effective at picking a signal.

Each area has been ranked with a colour-coded system, with green showing the highest likelihood of mobile coverage and red the lowest. The map shows:

• Voice and data coverage by mobile operator;
• coverage inside and outside of buildings; and
• topographical information allowing users to identify areas where there are natural obstructions to coverage, such as valleys and hills.

Ofcom is inviting users to check their coverage experience and leave feedback, which will help refine and improve the tool, with a new version expected in the autumn.