Has anyone else noticed the difference between Three's coverage map and OFCOM's?

[sc1999]

When I moved to Three, I used their network coverage checker to see what I could expect and, for my postcode, the checker says Yes - Very good service 4G indoors and out. Well indoors it varies from 3G to 5G when sitting in the same chair and my phone usually defaults to Wi-Fi calling or my Vodafone sim (I bought a cheap Vodafone sim to cover the gaps in Three's coverage). 5G is useless as I am on the boundary so there is no upload speed so nothing works. 

Now, if I go to the OFCOM network coverage checker it breaks my postcode down to individual addresses in the postcode. According to OFCOM my address does not get 4G indoors. I checked other addresses in my postcode and many get no coverage at all. I know this is correct as a near neighbour gets no Three signal.

Had I known that OFCOM had a more accurate checker I would have gone to Vodafone.

[DR74]

I cannot get any service at all in BH6 *** and I am paying for 5 sims - Three is not willing to do anything about this asking me to pointless troubleshooting tasks which cannot be done in the area as there is no signal. They suggested new sims and even new devices but I have told them how can 5 people with different SIMS and devices all get the same issue??? It’s a a shocking service with no accountability. Why should I continue paying for a service which is not working or fit for purpose? Nobody cares! If I leave I have to pay the remainder of my contract which is totally unfair!  They also claim I never called about this which is a lie! And how can I prove it??? Can’t wait to leave three for good! They just don’t care about you as a customer. Also I’ve noticed they throttle bandwidth so much! Also the phones don’t work in Waterloo station london which is shocking as this is central london ! 

[techbloke]

Have to second @sc1999 's thoughts on this, particularly as Three are marketing a fixed wireless access product as an alternative to fixed broadband which is increasingly delivered over GPON/XGS-PON networks.

[JonathanB]

Hey @sc1999,

Thanks for the feedback. OfCom get their coverage info directly from the network providers, and the maps are generated from the same info on both our coverage checker and OfCom's. I think the difference is that the feedback given is based on where the "pin" drops on the map.

As you mentioned, the OfCom one lets you pick an exact address whereas our coverage checker is picking a spot in the middle of the postcode area which I totally appreciate is not as accurate.

I do need to state that although we do try to ensure that the results from our coverage checker are accurate as possible, the information there is only a guide and doesn’t guarantee service availability in a particular location.

I've passed on feedback that we should look into providing address specific checks to help make the results more accurate though. Thanks for pointing this out.

JonathanB

[sc1999]

Jonathon, thanks for the reply but it does show that greater detail/accuracy is needed in rural areas so perhaps it's time for the networks to rethink their approach.