Vodafone and O2 caught misleading customers on 3G coverage ?

[DBMandrake]

Probably not much of a surprise to anyone on this forum, but:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382447/How-mobile-networks-mislead-customers-3G-coverage.html

I've long been aware of the fact that all the networks have both a simplified and highly optimistic end user coverage checker on their website, and a much more accurate one which only internal staff have access to.

Whats amusing though is that they use the more accurate internal version of the coverage maps in planning submissions made to local councils, and apparently thought nobody would ever notice the fact that these contradict the claims of good coverage made on their public website coverage checkers in the same locations. Hilarious! :D

Although I think all the networks are guilty to some degree the article singled out O2 and Vodafone for particularly flagrant and misleading differences between the public coverage maps and the private, internal coverage maps used for planning consent submissions.

[hecatae]

The three main networks, Vodafone, O2, T-mobile, Three and Orange, paid some £22bn for 3G contracts in 2008




just found my favourite part of the article

[DBMandrake]

just found my favourite part of the article

Haha, didn't spot that mistake :)

[Ben]

OFCOM needs to get real about this. I'd like to see OFCOM forcing the networks to provide data sufficient for it to draw its own coverage maps that consumers can access. There, I said it!

Even the mast locations aren't that important in the grand scheme of things, just somebody give us a fair and unbiased picture of coverage for all the networks. Imagine all the mobops on one simple map? Perfection!

[Hands0n]

It unbelievable how toothless OFCOM really are. I agree, they should compel the networks to provide the coverage data. The networks have proved time and time again that they are completely unwilling and unable to self-regulate fairly and honestly. What other business would be allowed to sell their wares under such dishonest means?

Imagine, for example, going in to a store to buy a settee, asking if they are available in the area and being assured that they are. You pay for the settee and walk out happy that you're going to receive the goods. Then later you get told that there are no settees in the area, and that there are unlikely to be any for the foreseeable future. Oh, and no you cannot have your money back!

It is an extraordinary situation that has been allowed to evolve, and the networks [still] feel supremely confident, even as the EU drag them kicking and screaming into the 21st century of fair roaming charges for voice, text and now data. Even when the operators are coining it in now that people are using their phones abroad as never before, they still carp at any prompting to further liberalise their tariffs.

It is about time this all went public. And I'd like to see very much more of it, for the sake of not only their customers but the very networks themselves.