Australia's two largest mobile network operators want the Australian government to take into account in-building mobile coverage when selecting sites for future rounds of the mobile blackspot program (MBSP).
The Commonwealth is currently consulting on the design of round 5A[1] of the program, having released submissions and a set of draft guidelines on Wednesday, to which interested parties have 14 days to respond.
In its submission, Optus said an issue with the program is that coverage is compared to public maps from telcos, which are measured when a device is outdoors or has an external antenna. Offering an alternative in its submission, the telco suggested a new measurement at -90dBm be used instead.
"[Public coverage maps] should not be used as a means of assessment, since we note that overwhelming feedback during varying Regional Telecommunications Reviews clearly shows a desire for enhanced in-building and in-vehicle (including in-paddock) coverage," Optus said.
"MBSP design should use as part of its criteria 'new handheld coverage at -90dBm' which is an in-building level of radio coverage and addresses the feedback from residents in regional areas.
This view was echoed by Telstra, which said a large percentage of complaints were due to in-building coverage rather than a wider blackspot.
"Around half of the blackspots logged by communities on the government website are either mainly or solely due to poor or absent indoor coverage," the telco said.
"These sites are more spread-out and hence more distant from the homes they're serving than in the metropolitan suburbs and the presence of intervening terrain and trees is more common, all of which reduces the signal that can reach indoors."
An example of how poor in-building coverage can affect one town was submitted