Rivals throw weight behind ‘Clear on Coverage’ campaign, which argues there i still too much confusion surrounding mobile coverage
O2, Vodafone and Ofcom have backed a call from EE CEO Marc Allera urging the industry to be clearer on mobile coverage
The operator launched its ‘Clear on Coverage’ campaign earlier this month (November 23), arguing there is still too much confusion surrounding mobile coverage throughout the UK. It surveyed more than 4,000 customers as part of the campaign and found half were confused by coverage measurements.
EE currently claims to have 75 per cent 4G coverage throughout the UK. This is followed by Vodafone (67 per cent) and O2 (63 per cent). Three declined to disclose its geographical coverage to Mobile News. EE promised it would stop giving population coverage measurements to customers and use more accurate geographical data from next year instead, with Allera urging the rest of the industry to follow in an open letter.
He said: “Today, people think they will get mobile coverage absolutely everywhere, because as an industry we’ve talked about coverage with confusing population metrics, and language that sets the wrong expectations. That has to stop.
“All operators should publish clearer geographic coverage information, and we’re seeking support from Ofcom as the independent source of information on mobile coverage and quality.”
Collective effort
O2 and Vodafone have both lent their support to Allera, with an O2 spokesperson claiming the operator has been pushing similar changes in recent years.
They said: “We would welcome more transparency on network coverage across the industry. A collective effort by operators, Ofcom, government and local authorities is needed to deliver the infrastructure that will support the accelerating customer appetite for mobile connectivity and secure a strong economic future for everyone.”
A Vodafone spokesperson added: “We are glad to see EE has finally agreed there is a need for a common industry approach to network coverage reports, which we have been calling for since 2014.”