Improving your mobile phone reception


There are a number of steps you can take to check and improve your mobile phone reception, whether you are a consumer or business customer.

Use Ofcom’s coverage checker

You can use our coverage checker to check indoor and outdoor mobile coverage for telephone, 3G and 4G services from all major providers. You can also check the outdoor availability of 5G services.

You can access the checker via an internet browser. You will need to enter a postcode, or allow the checker to automatically find your location, to view the results. The checker provides an at-a-glance summary of services in your area, and you will also be given the option to view your chosen area on an interactive map.

The information in the coverage checker is provided by mobile operators, and is updated regularly. It is based on coverage predictions generated using computer programmes that simulate the way mobile signals travel. Although these models are usually accurate, they may not always represent actual coverage ‘on the ground’. Ofcom also undertakes our own measurements to assess the accuracy of the data provided.

Some mobile network providers also offer their own coverage checkers for their services, which you can find online. Each operator has a slightly different approach to predicting and displaying coverage. Because Ofcom's map brings together all this data in one place and holds it to a single, independent standard, our map might show different levels of coverage to those on the providers' websites.

Maximising your mobile coverage