Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Accepted
Current coverage data is insufficient to identify very local 4G gaps and infrastructure adjustments.
Conclusion
The Department told us that local gaps in 4G coverage may not be due to the lack of a mast, but due to the nature of the equipment on that mast; for example, the antennas may not be angled correctly or the equipment may not be strong enough to provide full coverage. However, the Department acknowledged that the coverage data it currently has does not enable it to understand these very local gaps in coverage or to identify the infrastructure adjustments needed to address them.39
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and commits to working with Ofcom by January 2025 to obtain more granular signal strength and quality data from MNOs, and to experiment with crowdsourced data to better understand local 4G coverage gaps.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2025 4.2 Ofcom has an ongoing programme of work to improve mobile coverage reporting, which includes: • Obtaining further information from MNOs about signal strength at a more granular level and about signal quality; • Experimenting with crowd sourced data; • Considering whether the signal strength thresholds they use remain appropriate as consumer demands and technologies evolve. 4.3 The department is working with Ofcom to explore options for providing more accurate reporting, including exploring ways in which data from third parties can be incorporated into Ofcom’s data. As well as considering the use of crowd sourced data and measurement data provided by local authorities and other third parties, the department will work with Ofcom to consider other ways that consumers can report gaps in coverage. 4.4 Ofcom has set out its expectations for how the Mobile Network Operators should implement the switch- off of 2G and 3G networks to ensure that customers are treated fairly and can continue to access the services they need. The department will ask that Ofcom examines any cases where areas have lost all mobile connectivity following 3G switch off. 4.5 The department has asked Ofcom to report on the extent of standalone 5G coverage as it starts to be deployed and to keep under review its definitions of good 4G and 5G coverage to ensure that they remain fit for purpose. The department will continue to engage with Ofcom as it refines its reporting mechanisms for 5G standalone and its review of the definitions of good 4G and 5G coverage.