T-Mobile replaces dated coverage maps with crowdsourced variants updated twice monthly

Shawn Knight

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t-mobile map uncarrier coverage map crowdsourced coverage map

T-Mobile is doing away with yet another industry norm – the traditional coverage map. It’s replacing the often outdated (and questionably accurate) coverage map with what it calls the industry’s first and only crowdsourced, customer-verified network coverage map.

While not quite enough to warrant a full-fledged Un-carrier event, the new approach could still come in handy for both prospective and existing customers.

Coverage maps were once the go-to resource in deciding whether or not to sign up for wireless service with a particular carrier. When I got my first cell phone around 2000, I chose my carrier based primarily on whether or not I’d get coverage at home. Back then, mobile web connectivity didn’t really exist so as long as your phone could make and receive calls, you were golden.

The mobile phone landscape has changed dramatically over the past 15 years, however. Now, you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll get reception in medium-sized and large metropolitan areas with any major carrier. Heavily travelled highways are also a given.

The real debate today centers not around call reception but the speed of wireless data and in that respect, T-Mobile’s crowdsourced map is a fantastic idea. Unlike old maps that were produced using predictive coverage estimates, T-Mobile’s new map is updated twice each month to reflect customer experiences based on more than 200 million data points each day.

This should give users a much more accurate representation of the exact level of data service they’ll receive in a given area.

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I hope this becomes standard. Estimation/Prediction vs actual are often different, especially on the edge of coverage.
 

t-mobile map uncarrier coverage map crowdsourced coverage map

T-Mobile is doing away with yet another industry norm – the traditional coverage map. It’s replacing the often outdated (and questionably accurate) coverage map with what it calls the industry’s first and only crowdsourced, customer-verified network coverage map.

While not quite enough to warrant a full-fledged Un-carrier event, the new approach could still come in handy for both prospective and existing customers.

Coverage maps were once the go-to resource in deciding whether or not to sign up for wireless service with a particular carrier. When I got my first cell phone around 2000, I chose my carrier based primarily on whether or not I’d get coverage at home. Back then, mobile web connectivity didn’t really exist so as long as your phone could make and receive calls, you were golden.

The mobile phone landscape has changed dramatically over the past 15 years, however. Now, you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll get reception in medium-sized and large metropolitan areas with any major carrier. Heavily travelled highways are also a given.

The real debate today centers not around call reception but the speed of wireless data and in that respect, T-Mobile’s crowdsourced map is a fantastic idea. Unlike old maps that were produced using predictive coverage estimates, T-Mobile’s new map is updated twice each month to reflect customer experiences based on more than 200 million data points each day.

This should give users a much more accurate representation of the exact level of data service they’ll receive in a given area.

Permalink to story.

 
Great idea for larger carriers. I'm afraid this may be a shot in the foot for T-Mobile showing everyone how poor their coverage actually is.
Not too sure about that, even if their coverage is poor this only shows that they are being honest and doesn't bs about how epic their coverage supposedly is.

That's actually a good feature, I wish that this would become the standard here too. It should also be applied to TV-antenna coverage maps since there's loads of bs going around about those too, and in the end the customer support blames the customer for having faulty/bad equipment. I have actually worked for a phone operator and I feel bad for the customers who get ripped off, my foreman also complained to me about being too honest with customers because it resulted in me selling less...
 
I'll tell you people what... if I could choose T-Mobile as my wireless carrier I certainly would. They've gotta be much better than Vodafone, or Verizon, depending where in the world you are. The other wireless carriers over here aren't an option.
 
I already question the legitimacy as to how they are generating this map. I visited the site to give it a look and plugged in St Augustine, FL where I live. The map shows 4G LTE coverage completely blanketing St. Johns county. But in the real world, I struggle to find a consistent connection anywhere. In my home, I receive zero signal, even with T Mobile's signal booster. I'm about to purchase a home that is also in a dead zone, and most of St George St and the historic district is also one giant dead spot. Just replacing one fabrication with another.
 
If there's no signal with a femtocell or whatever setup, something is broken. The phone or the femtocell, or the internet feeding the femtocell.
 
I am a T-Mobile user and I will never go back to any other carrier. I have not had any issues with there service I get better coverage most of the time over other providers. I have the everything unlimited plan im not data capped I use about 50 to 80 GB a month because I stream and watch lots of netflix on the go I travel for work and I can say that so far t-mobile has me and will have me for a long time the 4GLTE and 4G I see all the time I have yet to travel out and about and not see a 4G or 4GLTE never have I hit the 3G. I would suggest before bashing a company how most of you do give them a try I did and I do not regret it. I wish I did it sooner.
 
I am a T-Mobile user and I will never go back to any other carrier. I have not had any issues with there service I get better coverage most of the time over other providers. I have the everything unlimited plan im not data capped I use about 50 to 80 GB a month because I stream and watch lots of netflix on the go I travel for work and I can say that so far t-mobile has me and will have me for a long time the 4GLTE and 4G I see all the time I have yet to travel out and about and not see a 4G or 4GLTE never have I hit the 3G. I would suggest before bashing a company how most of you do give them a try I did and I do not regret it. I wish I did it sooner.

Yup, I have the same plan and it's great. Saved tons of money but the best feeling about my whole situation was giving Verizon the biggest middle finger I have ever given anyone. It felt so great! xD
 
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