Why Telstra, Optus and TPG mobile coverage maps now look different

Topic:Telecommunications Services Industry Deb Bewick says mobile phone coverage in Uranqunity is poor, despite what the telcos' coverage maps claim. (ABC News: Lauren Pezet) New mapping standards enforced from today will see telcos rate mobile coverage by good, moderate, basic and no coverage. Telstra has disputed the baseline set for "no coverage", with at least 886,000 square kilometres to be wiped from its mapped footprint. While the changes have been broadly welcomed, one expert said a better measure would be based on on-ground monitoring, not predictive modelling. Link copiedShareShare articleDespite living barely 10 minutes west of the largest inland city in New South Wales, Uranquinty residents have long struggled to get the major telcos to understand just how bad their mobile reception is. "We had a telco executive come out once to discuss the issues we were having with reception and he was sitting on the back verandah of one of our homes and was challenged to call the owner of the home," Deb Bewick recalled. She said he was "surprised" when he could not make the call so close to Wagga Wagga. Do you know more about this or have a similar story? Email pezet.lauren@abc.net.au or laurenpezet@proton.me It is a misconception she is hoping will be addressed from today as the three major telcos, Telstra, Optus and TPG, are forced to publish standardised mobile coverage maps. They will now all need to use the same predictive modelling to classify the quality of 4G and 5G coverage across voice, SMS and data communications, or face enforcement action from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). On one end, any signal greater than or equal to -95 decibel-milliwatts (dBm) is "good", anything below -115dBm is considered "no coverage". Good: High-quality-user experience with seamless connectivity and performance. Moderate: Stable and consistent user experience with minimal disruptions to connectivity and performance. Basic: Adequate user experience with occasional disruptions to connectivity and performance. No coverage: No, or only very limited, predicted coverage in these areas, so you should not expect or rely on any service. Any connection you may receive would be incidental, highly inconsistent and temporary, with very poor performance. Telstra took issue particularly with the definition of no coverage, which will lead to a reduction in the area it previously claimed to cover, arguing customers could still make calls in some cases below -115dBm. Anika Wells announced in March that telcos would need to publish their coverage maps in a new format. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) "They have legal obligations upon them and everyone else in the industry, and I expect them to comply for the sake of consumers." Associate Professor Mark Gregory, from RMIT University's School of Engineering, said while the changes were a "50 per cent win for consumers" they were still very "generous" towards telcos by international standards. Mark Gregory says the new maps still use predictive technology, which is flawed. (ABC News: Brendan Mounter) He said the maps were informed by predictive modelling software and not actual data. "Without on-the-ground testing, information that can be provided by the telcos themselves or by using a third-party testing system that's permanently placed at the access points, we don't have the information that we would need to ensure that we have realistic coverage maps," Dr Gregory said. Ms Wells said the -115 dBm figure came after "significant consultation" and that it was a standard set in other jurisdictions internationally. "We have the government's national audit of mobile coverage and that will continue to independently verify the mobile coverage claims of mobile network operators," she said. Australian Communications Consumer Action Network chief executive Carol Bennett said while more work could be done to meet international standards, today's intervention was a welcome "step forward". Carol Bennett welcomes the change to standardise mobile coverage maps. (ABC News: Billy Cooper) No matter which plan you are signed up to in Australia, the network is provided by one of three telcos: Telstra, Optus and TPG. None were available for an interview but all have published their maps, which look quite different from each other. Telstra's map distinguishes between the different levels of quality by using very fine differences in shades of green for 4G and purple for 5G. Telstra says the new mapping standard shows its footprint is 2.14 million square kilometres. (Supplied: Telstra) The map was experiencing some technical issues with patches that were present at a wider view disappearing when zoomed in, which Telstra said was being fixed. In its submission on the draft proposal, it said the new standards would result in 1 million square kilometres of coverage being wiped from its coverage map. Telstra told ACMA the new standards would mean the blue areas would

Why Telstra, Optus and TPG mobile coverage maps now look different

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