Watchdog prods telcos on coverage maps - and wants exits without penalty

The telcos say coverage depends on many factors, including what phone a person is using. Photo / Jason Dorday

Phone companies’ coverage maps are not clear enough and too hard to find on their websites, a regulator says.

Customers should also be able to quit their mobile plan without penalty if they find coverage isn’t good enough.

“Too many Kiwis are signing up to find that they’re not getting the coverage they expected,” Telecommunications Commissioner Tristan Gilbertson says.

Gilbertson, whose office is part of the Commerce Commission, wants Spark, One NZ and 2degrees to make the following changes:

• Spark, One NZ and 2degrees to standardise their coverage maps to make them easier to compare, including a standard set of coverage such as “excellent”, “good”, “fair” and “no coverage”, tied to signal strength thresholds, within 12 months;
• Make coverage maps easy to find, in two clicks - with design changes made within six months;
• Provide a clear “exit right” when consumers find a material difference between what a coverage map shows and their real-world experience, within six months.

“One NZ and 2degrees already offer this [an exit right] in the form of a ‘network guarantee’ for their new customers,” Gilbertson said.

“We’d like to see it offered across the board so consumers switch more confidently - knowing they can leave without cost if the promised coverage isn’t there.”

Telcos say they are working constructively with the regulator, but add that coverage is not clear-cut.

One NZ: ‘Maps are predictions’

“Our existing coverage maps already indicate the areas where a network is available. As the commission notes, these maps are predictions - it is not feasible to physically test in every single location in Aotearoa to predict what the customer experience will be,” One NZ head of sustainability and corporate affairs Nicky Preston said.

“It’s well-understood there are many factors which can affect a customer’s experience which are beyond the control of mobile operators, such as what device the customer might be using.”

Factors like the weather and network congestion at particular times of the day can also come into play.

“Put simply, just because a map shows coverage is available doesn’t always guarantee somebody can connect to use their phone in that location,” Preston said.

She added, “Through our partnership with SpaceX, we expect to offer coverage across all of New Zealand and will be updating our coverage maps to reflect this. We will also be updating our coverage maps as we plan the retirement of 3G, where we are aiming to have 4G or 5G coverage available in the same locations.”

On the Commission’s push for industry-standard metrics for showing “excellent”, “good”, “fair” and “no coverage”, Preston said:

“Mobile network coverage maps already show this, in outlining 3G, 4G and 5G coverage. From a customer’s perspective, 3G coverage is ‘fair’, 4G is ‘good’, and 5G is ‘excellent’. When SpaceX is live, we’d initially show this as ‘fair’ coverage across all of New Zealand, because only a txt service will be available at launch, but it’ll progressively go up the scale as the technology matures.”

Spark, 2degrees respond

“We are aware of the commission’s roadmap, and we already have work under way to ensure we can meet its requirements,” a Spark spokeswoman said.

“We continue to make significant investments into our network, expanding capacity by 28% over the last financial year alone.”

A spokesman for 2degrees said, “This will be beneficial for 2degrees as it will help combat the perception that our coverage may be limited in some places.”

“The reality is we have a robust and extensive network with more than 2100 cell sites, and we are so confident in the network we recently started an advertising campaign to highlight our money-back guarantee.”

Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.