The Complexities of T-Mobile Coverage

A mobile phone signal, commonly referred to as coverage, is what our phones need to operate in the real world. Without any sort of signal, mobile phones can’t make or receive calls or send messages, so it’s pretty important to make sure whatever operator you choose is going to give you a good signal. Mobile signal is sent to mobiles through using a mobile mast, but while you may find these all over the place, living near one that mean your signal on all mobile phones will be the same, as the networks for various different operators are all different. This can make buying a new phone somewhat of a challenge if you haven’t used that moderator before.

In general, the best places for mobile phone signal are urban areas, as masts are more frequent in cities. This isn’t always the case though, as even busy cities can have dead spots due usually to either tall buildings or the landscape itself, such as roads build on steep hills where the houses at the bottom are unlikely to be able to pick up a very good signal. In rural areas, signal can sometimes be patchy, but for most villages in the UK, mobile phone coverage is generally pretty good. Some providers are better known for providing signal from remote locations than others and not all are born equal. For example, if you’re trying to pick between Vodafone and T-mobile coverage based on signal, there can be a pretty big difference between the two.

There are a number of factors that can affect the strength of any mobile phone signal. As well as the already mentioned natural landscapes, thick walls can stop signal from just about any provider, so older buildings sometimes have a hard time picking up signal, or can only achieve a good signal near a window. There are also tunnels and underground services where signal is cut off, and even just a large amount of traffic on any particular network and reduce and degrade the strength. Weather can also affect the quality of mobile phone signals, especially heavy snow or rain.

The other type of signal that’s talked about less is 3G signal. While standard phone signal gives us enough power to make calls or pick up a text message, actually using any of the advanced features of many phones requires a stronger type of signal known as 3G. This signal isn’t anywhere near as common as standard, 2G signal, though it’s pretty easy to get in most cities and towns. While 3G isn’t required for normal phone operation, it’s essential if you want to browse the internet on your phone or use Voice Over IP (VOIP) services like Skype. In your own home you can connect your phone to Wi-Fi network instead, so this isn’t as much of a problem, but if you plan on using your phone when you commute, making sure you can get a good 3G signal in areas you are likely to be can be important.

For this reason it’s worth checking up what kind of signal you might get from your chosen provider before you sign a long term contract. While there are ways to leave a contract if a provider can’t provide basic 2G signal to your home, it’s a waste of time and money to have to find that out later. All of the big providers offer some sort of signal checking service either through your postcode or home telephone number, and while they aren’t perfect they’ll stop you from ‘going in blind’ where your mobile phone coverage is concerned.

About Mobile Choices:
Mobile Choices gives easy to understand advice to mobile phone users in the UK, from what the best choices are for mobile phones for under £100 to the best ways to ensure a good level of mobile phone coverage. If you’re looking into buying a new mobile phone contract, make sure to check out Mobile Choices first!