Sometimes cellular coverage statistics don’t add up. Case in point, a recent FierceWireless article by Keith Mallinson questions the claim by Ofcom, the communications regulator in the UK, that “coverage of mobile voice services has remained at or above 99% of premises over the last 10 years.” Of notable interest, Ofcom requires operators to provide LTE mobile broadband service for indoor reception to at least 98% of the UK population by the end of 2017.
Despite Ofcom’s claim, the regulator says that the aggregate figures for mobile home coverage do not change the fact there needs to be significant improvement in addressing not-spots and partial not-spots where coverage is patchy or non-existent. That includes along roads and rail lines, and deep inside buildings.
As Mallinson points out, there are a lot of grey areas, especially when it comes to indoor coverage:
“But even where ’indoor reception’ is promised, the meaning of this is unclear.The signal might be available somewhere indoors, while being so poor in most rooms due to thick walls and signal shielding that service is unreliable and unusable as a means of being reached. What is relevant to users is the level of availability where they are when they need to use their devices. Most mobile usage is indoors and a very large proportion of the rest is while inside cars, buses and trains.”
As the only Smart Signal Booster® authorized for use by Ofcom we know that Cel-Fi could play a prominent role in helping to boost indoor coverage for mobile subscribers in the UK. Cel-Fi is also one of several options service providers can use to meet their coverage targets while managing infrastructure costs.
Do you think the UK service providers can meet their target? What will they need to do to get there?
By the Cel-Fi Team