Mobile phone coverage in Wokingham

I have received the enclosed letter from Ofcom about mobile phone coverage in Wokingham:

Dear John,

In August we launched our online Mobile Coverage Checker to help consumers check the coverage they could expect anywhere in the UK. Using data from the four UK mobile phone network providers, our interactive map shows the predicted level of coverage both in doors and outside. It shows coverage for voice calls, 3G and 4G data connections.

It has proved to be a very popular tool for businesses and consumers: with over 286,710 people using our maps since their launch and around 1,500 people still using the checker each day.

I thought you might find it useful to see what the predicted mobile coverage is for voice calls in your constituency.

We also thought you might be interested in highlighting the checker to your constituents, who can use it to give us feedback for the local area. The feedback we get from the public is really important in helping us improve the maps, as people can tell us whether their experience matches what our database tells them – more than 4,000 people have done this so far. Please feel free to tweet or post on Facebook about the online tool. If you want to highlight the tool locally you might want to tweet or post something like:

“Want to know what mobile coverage you can expect in Wokingham? Have you tried the @ofcom mobile coverage checker? http://t.co/gYVvMG4Lj2”

“Want to know what mobile coverage you can expect in Wokingham (even inside your house)? Try the @ofcom mobile coverage checker and let them know what you think! http://t.co/gYVvMG4Lj2”

Because of this feedback we are able to update these maps monthly and do testing of our own to validate the coverage data from mobile phone networks. And we have plans to develop this tool further and will be rolling out improvements in the New Year.

Later this year, we will also be launching a mobile ‘app’ for smartphones and tablets, which will allow people to test their Wi-Fi connection. We estimate that consumers’ home broadband experience may not be working as well as it could in around a fifth of UK homes. The new app will help identify if someone’s broadband isn’t performing as it should be, and suggest simple trouble-shooting tips to help address it.

So please let me know if you would like more information on Ofcom’s work on promoting better mobile coverage and how we are helping consumers get the best out of their contracts.

Yours sincerely,

Sharon White
Chief Executive