What's This Coverage Thing?

"Coverage" refers to the area covered by a particular mobile network's signal. If you're in an area without coverage you won't be able to access mobile broadband, so it's important that you check the coverage of a network before you go ahead and sign up with them.

You shouldn't worry too much about it, however, as all of the mobile networks now have a reasonable return period - particularly if you buy on the internet (when you shop on the internet you have a statutory "cooling off period"). If you sign up for a contract (or even pay-as-you-go), and then find that the service doesn't work properly in your area, no problem – simply send your kit (dongle, laptop, etc.) back and the deal's off, so it's pretty much risk free.

Different Types Of Coverage

Just to make life a little bit more complicated, not all coverage is the same...

To get any internet use at all from your mobile broadband, you're going to need 2G coverage - if you get a mobile phone signal, you have this. There are very few places left in the UK without 2G coverage.

As you might expect, given the name, 3G is the successor to 2G. It is designed to work with the much larger data requirements of modern email, web browsing, and even video transfer.

HSDPA is expected to lead mobile broadband into the next few years for most networks and can already be found in most cities and urban areas. If you're covered by HSDPA, you should be able to get a good, speedy connection (read the section below: "What Else Can Effect Coverage?" before you get too excited though).

(For a geekily detailed history of mobile broadband technologies, read A Brief Historty Of Mobile Connectivity)

As a general guide, there isn't too much point in going for mobile broadband if you're in a 2G area - you'll still be able to use the internet, but it will be even slower than old fashioned dial-up! When you're checking coverage maps (see below), make sure you have at least 3G coverage.

Why Isn't Everywhere Covered?

The mobile networks are constantly improving the range and quality of their coverage but they haven't quite got the whole of the UK covered yet. Around 99% of the UK population has some form of coverage, so if you don't, you're probably enjoying life without the interruptions of mobile technology anyway!

To cover an area, a network has to build what they call a “base station,” which relays their signal to your mobile device (phone, dongle, or built in mobile broadband) and also the signal from your device back into the network so that you can transfer data. This means that coverage is largely dependent on the number and strength of the base stations that the network has in the area you're in when using your mobile broadband connection.

What Else Can Effect Coverage?

As with all mobile communications (such as your mobile phone or satellite TV, for example), coverage is also effected by hills, trees, weather conditions, buildings, etc. Ever noticed your mobile phone signal go down during a storm, or when you travel through a steep sided valley? This can happen in just the same way with mobile broadband (it uses the same networks, after all).

What About Network Load? (What?!)

It's also worth noting that the speed and accessibility of your mobile broadband connection can be effected by network load. This is the amount of use your network is getting, in your area, at the same time that you're using it.

For example, if the network you're using has a sudden surge of users in your area logging on and using their mobile broadband connections at the same time to upload or download web pages, photos, videos, make Skype calls, etc., you could find that your connection becomes much slower. In extreme cases you may not even get a connection at all.

A year or two ago, when mobile broadband was very new, this was a major problem for some of the networks, as they simply weren't prepared for the amount of data they would have to transfer across their networks. Fortunately, all of the major networks are very keen to embrace this new technology and they've made huge efforts to improve their systems and accommodate the rapid growth of mobile broadband. This is great news for you and I, as it means that mobile broadband coverage will keep improving.

How Do I Check Coverage For My Area?

Each of the major mobile broadband providers has an online coverage checking tool available for you to use. These allow you to enter you postcode, hit a button, and find out exactly what the coverage is like in your area. Some even allow you to enter more than one postcode at a time, so that you can check home, work and the pub all in one go! The links below will take you to the different coverage checkers for all the major providers.

Vodafone Coverage Checker
3 Coverage Checker
Orange Coverage Checker
O2 Coverage Checker
T-Mobile Coverage Checker

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