Telstra confident its mobile network coverage claims were right all along

At Telstra we are confident our claim to have a mobile network that covers three million square kilometres was right all along.

After retesting data and fresh lab trials, Telstra is confident its coverage claims are correct.

If there’s one thing Telstra understands better than any other mobile network provider in Australia, it’s how important reliable coverage is to our customers.

Over the years we’ve invested in more towers, more transmission and more innovation than any other network to provide the largest mobile coverage in the country.

It’s the heart of our business – strategically and commercially – and while we know there is always more to be done, the investment we have made to provide our customers coverage in more places is something everyone at Telstra is enormously proud of.

We know the size, quality and reliability of our mobile network is top of mind for our customers and the primary reason more Australians choose us.

We have always taken a conservative approach to calculating our mobile coverage and producing our maps.

That is highlighted by the many places across the country where you can use your phone outside our coverage maps.

A competitor recently called our coverage claims into question. We understand it was based on information all network providers submit to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and while we don’t know how they calculated our coverage, we do know the data is almost 18 months old and we have greatly increased the size of our 4G network since.

However, rather than instantly dismiss it out of hand, we changed how we described our coverage claims on our website while we double- and triple-checked.

Since then we have rigorously retested our claims using desktop modelling and extensive drive test data we have gathered over time, along with a fresh round of lab trials. Based on that work we are confident our claim to have a mobile network that covers thee million square kilometres was right all along.

Telstra CEO Vicki Brady. Picture: John Feder

Like all mobile networks around the world, there will be places inside our coverage maps where calls may drop out or can’t be made. Our customers know there are “black spots” and we know it too. That’s why we’re continually improving it.

These black spots are caused by the physics of radio waves and the varied Australian terrain.

No provider can test every square metre of Australia in person but we think the way mobile carriers’ maps are produced and presented can be improved.

There is no industry standard in the way coverage is measured, and we think there should be.

While our customers know through real-world experience that our network is by far the largest, we also think it makes sense to have a consistent approach across the industry so people can easily look at what is available and make decisions based on what is right for them.

To this end, the industry is already in conversation through the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association to find a solution.

This week we will launch our new company-wide strategy.

Nobody will be surprised that the size, quality and reliability of our mobile network will be central.

We know from talking to regional customers and stakeholders through the recent 3G closure just how important it is to be clear on expectations and understanding real-world customer experience.

This isn’t an easy task with mobile networks given the number of factors that can impact on that experience, but it’s something we are committed to improving.

This is also top of mind for us at Telstra as we look to launch our satellite-to-mobile messaging capability. STM is an exciting but emerging technology we are currently testing, which uses low earth orbiting satellites to provide a signal to mobile phones.

When we launch, we will be clear on what it is and what it will do – but even more importantly what it won’t do.

It will not provide a service that is comparable to mobile network connectivity and the industry needs to ensure that it sets the right expectations with customers.

It is in our interest for our customers to trust that we deliver a better experience than any other provider, and we believe an agreed industry standard on coverage measurement is one way to demonstrate that.

Similarly, it’s in the industry’s interest as a whole to build trust in all of the services we offer.

Vicki Brady is the chief executive of Telstra.