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http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,25279909-5014239,00.html

Mobile coverage overstated by Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, and Hutchison - Market Clarity report

IF you believe the advertising jingles, mobile phone coverage is “everywhere man”.

But a new report says actual coverage may be less than half what is claimed in some cases because of flaws in the way the data is treated by the industry.

Under the current calculations used Telstra claims to cover 99 per cent of the Australian population, Optus 96 per cent, Vodafone 80 per cent, and Hutchinson (3 Mobile) 60 per cent

The report by telecommunications research Market Clarity says the statistics should be: Telstra 96.33 per cent, Optus 82.65 per cent, Vodafone 50.96 per cent, and Hutchinson 20.58 per cent.

Market Clarity chief executive Shara Evans  said the findings meant the methods used by the industry to calculate their population coverage clearly needed to be changed.

The industry system uses population statistics from the Census Collection Districts (CCDs) available from the Australian Bureau  of Statistics (ABS).

If the mobile coverage happens to cover the centre of a CCD (usually marked by a dot on a map) then the coverage passes the 100 per cent population coverage test. If the centre is not covered it then counts as 0 per cent.

Ms Evans said the resulting discrepancies were deceptive and there were more accurate ways to measure population coverage.

She said a suitable alternative should “take a look at the land mass in each of the CCDs”.

“There are still flaws in this but it's a much more logical way of estimating coverage rather than saying all or nothing,” she said.

Enquiries to Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Hutchison were directed to industry body the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA).

AMTA did not rebuke the claims, saying it would not comment before seeing the report.

"The industry believes it employs robust methodology that produces realistic and conservative mobile network coverage," an AMTA spokesperson said.

"These figures are routinely independently audited."

The report is expected to be available today.