Mobile Broadband Coverage – Check Mobile broadband coverage maps

To find out whether your area is covered by high speed mobile data networks (3G or HSPA),use the coverage maps and coverage checkers below:

Types of Mobile broadband coverage

How do we check mobile broadband coverage details while choosing a service? Why It is so important that we should spend some time in finding out which mobile networks offer the best coverage in our area or locations where we plan to use the service.

Do we check this important information – Which type of coverage do these networks provide? Just GPRS? 3G? or HSPA?

Mobile phone networks use different technology for transmiting your voice calls, while mobile broadband requires other advanced technologies.

To access fast mobile broadband, you should make sure that you can get 3G and HSPA coverage in your area. Data service via GPRS or 2G mobile networks is quite slow. Downloading files or watching images or loading web pages may take longer duration.

Mobile Broadband Coverage Checkers

3G and HSPA based mobile broadband services claim to offer download speeds between 3.6Mbps to 7.2Mbps. EDGE networks come between 2G and 3G, in terms of speeds. Providers install these networks (cost-effective technology) to extend coverage to areas which are not covered by their 3G networks.

Coverage may change when you use mobile broadband indoors

If you see your mobile broadband speeds fluctuate from place to place, it is the signal strength that is behind it. In outdoors like garden, your mobile broadband could be faster due to the good reception as few things block the signal.

However, inside the buildings, the blockage of signal can happen due to thick walls and interference with other electrical/electronic devices resulting in slow speeds or even disconnection. This kind of thing happens even with mobile phones. The best way to improve reception is moving your device to places nearby windows or ever outdoor.

Mobile Broadband Coverage comparison

3 Mobile broadband has 98% of HSPA coverage in the UK. O2 claims its HSPA networks can cover more than 80% of population in the UK. T-Mobile and Virgin Media can offer HSPA based 7.2Mbps service to 85% of users in the UK. Orange UK which has 94% network coverage has been extending its HSPA coverge to 75% of UK population. Vodafone says its HSPA mobile networks can cover 80% of population.

Mobile broadband coverage of O2

Mobile broadband coverage map O2

Source:Ofcom (2009)

3 Mobile broadband coverage map (Three mobile broadband)

Coverage Map - 3 Mobile broadband

Mobile broadband coverage Orange UK

Mobile broadband coverage map Orange