Why Telstra, Optus and TPG mobile coverage maps now look different
Telstra, Optus and TPG forced to publish new mobile coverage maps
Deb Bewick says mobile phone coverage in Uranqunity is poor, despite what the telcos' coverage maps claim. (ABC News: Lauren Pezet)
In short:
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.
What's next?
While the changes have been broadly welcomed, one expert said a better measure would be based on on-ground monitoring, not predictive modelling.
Despite 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.
"He just said, 'No, the maps say you have coverage', but the reality was different."
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.
'War of definitions'
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)
"Telstra wanted to keep its own map, ACMA has told them that they aren't able to do that,"Communications Minister Anika Wells said.
"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.
"There is an argument that the actual figures that have been picked should have been lower and therefore we would have had yet again a better indication of where coverage is,"he said.
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)
"For some time, we've had a war of definitions about what counts as actual coverage and really, at its core, it's about how coverage is measured and what consumers can be told they can rely on,"she said.
So, what's different?
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 be wiped from its coverage maps. (Supplied)
In a statement to the ABC, it said the new footprint would be 2.14 million square kilometres: that would be 886,000 less than the 3 million it previously advertised.
Telstra argued historical data showed 1.5 million customers still used the network in those areas each month, but did not state how old that data was.
The telco said 57,000 emergency calls were made from those areas within a single year, but did not state which year that was.
A spokesperson said it "didn't agree with the approach ACMA ultimately took".
"The map might look different, but our network and coverage haven't changed," they said.
TPG uses different colours for its quality key as you toggle between 4G and 5G, while Optus chose fine differences in shades with a different colour for each of its 4G, standard 5G and 5G plus services.
Optus said the "more advanced modelling" required under the standard saw an increase in its mapped 4G and 5G coverage to 99.11 and 94.5 per cent of the population.
It said its geographic footprint for 4G remained "broadly stable" at 1.2 million square kilometres, but did not disclose the difference in its 5G footprint.
"This is an important step in improving transparency and giving customers greater confidence when comparing services across providers," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Optus's mobile coverage map for its standard 5G service as per the new standards. (Supplied: Optus)
TPG, which also supplies Vodafone's network, backed the changes after previously accusing Telstra of "misleading" customers about its mobile coverage.
It said the changes would see its mapped coverage increase from 98.5 to 99 per cent of the population, and its footprint increase from about 1 million to 1.2 million square kilometres.
In a statement, acting group executive consumer James Gully said it was a "reset" for "how mobile coverage is marketed in Australia".
"They finally deliver apples-for-apples comparison and bring much-needed transparency to mobile coverage maps,"he said.
TPG's mobile coverage map for 4G published to the new ACMA standards. Its 5G footprint is smaller. (Supplied: TPG)
Back in Uranquinty, Ms Bewick said while the maps might be a more accurate representation, they would not change the reality on the ground.
"We just find ways around providing coverage for ourselves, like working off the NBN," she said.
"Most people have some form of internet coverage and then they use their phones from that."
