Can you have good 3G/4G communications over bad GSM coverage?--The reason for bad connection in urban and rural areas

Internet access is no longer a luxury a few could afford. Instead, it is rather a human right nowadays. According to Ericsson Mobility Report, global 4G population coverage reached about 80 percent at the end of 2019 and is expected to reach over 90 percent in 2025. In most countries, even some African countries, it is claimed to have 99+% mobile network coverage. However, we still experience call drop-outs, noise during a call or slow mobile internet from time to time. These are issues caused by so-called coverage blackspot.

The cause of coverage blackspot

There are several reasons for coverage blackspots - some are planned by the network operator, while others are invisible to the network. Here we list the common causes of coverage blackspot.

Distance From The Tower

A tower’s search window is typically set to 30, 60 or 160km. If you are on the outer footprint of the coverage area, the user may experience an unreliable level of service with call drop outs and slow data speeds.

Physical Obstructions

Obstacles are one of the most common causes of poor mobile connections. This includes buildings, terrain such as hills, vegetation, weather and other structures.

To provide internet in modern buildings is becoming more vital than ever, as 80% of mobile phone calls are placed indoors. However, common materials of modern buildings, e.g. brick, concrete and tiles, double glazed or tinted windows, metal roofs, reinforced steel concrete walls, and retaining walls, could easily cause poor mobile signals.

Interference

Some radio emitting devices could also cause the base station to lower its output power, hence interfering mobile signals. Such devices include but not limited to illegal mobile phone repeaters and boosters, solar panels, and large stadium viewing screens.

In UK, an old TV crashed entire town’s internet every day for 18 months, due to electrical interference.

Network Issues And Network Congestion

Sometimes a hardware issue or a tower upgrade may occur to the base station, causing reduction in network performance.

In addition, the network coverage is also affected by the number of users on the tower.

How can I check mobile phone coverage in my area?

Each mobile network provider offers a coverage checking tool, where you can check the network coverage by different frequency bands. It is usually placed under “about”, “network” or “support” menu. Or you can search for keywords like “coverage” or “checker” in the search bar on the homepage of your network provider.

Another way to check the coverage in your area is to use independent mobile phone coverage maps. There are many of them. Here we list several just to inspire you.

https://www.gsma.com/coverage/#643

https://www.mobilecoveragemaps.com/

https://www.opensignal.com/networks

How can I measure mobile signal?

As mentioned above, some coverage blackspots are planned by network operators, while others are hidden and invisible. Therefore, network coverage maps are not always correct. To get a better idea of the network performance in your area, you need to measure mobile signal.

There are several ways to measure the mobile signal.

Signal Bar

This way is easy but not accurate at all, because every phone manufacturer calculates the signal and display the bar differently.

Exact Readings By Putting The Phone Into Service Mode

To access the exact readings, you need to go into your phones field test mode or into the phones settings to get the current network status.

Field test mode is entered by typing a code into the phones keypad, with each phone model having it’s own unique code.

iPhone

dial *3001#12345#* into the keypad and press call.

Android

You can view the db reading by going into Settings > About Phone.

For service mode enter *#0011# into the keypad.

ZTE/Telstra Phones

For service mode enter *983*3641# into the keypad. To exit service mode enter *983*3640#

Note to yourself that different frequency bands measure the signal strength and quality differently. Check the recommendations, if you want to know more about mobile phone signal measurement.

Apps That Measure Signal Strength

There is an easier way to measure the signal strength by using smartphone Apps. Here are some Apps for both Android and iPhone users, e.g. LTE Discovery, Open Signal, Phone Signal Notifier, Phone Signal, and etc.

What can I do to improve my mobile phone signal?

Contact your Mobile Provider

If your mobile signal used to be fine, but has become poor then it is best to report this to your mobile provider.

Get a cell phone signal booster

A cell phone signal booster, also known as “femtocell”, will boost the existing outside cell signal and distribute it throughout your home, office or vehicle. However, most signal boosters are illegal to use, as they might interfere the radio and crash the internet in the whole area. So it is best to ask your carrier to offer or recommend one.

Changing Mobile Providers

Switch to another carrier with better coverage in your area, if you have tried the things above and still have poor mobile connection.

Carrier Solutions

For large corporations, companies and businesses, most mobile network operators offer several solutions to assist. This could include multi-story inbuilding coverage solutions using a DAS (Distributed Antenna System) or a Microcell for an outdoor area such as a mining camp or shopping centre.

Set up your own network

If you are not satisfied with your local ISP, you can set up your own network and get internet at a faster speed and probably at a much cheaper price. However, this approach is very complicated.