Ofcom released a new interactive online tool that will help UK residents discover mobile, broadband, and television coverage in their areas. It works across the whole of the UK and will help new and existing customers find coverage areas that work best for them. It’s no easy task finding a new internet, wireless, or cable TV provider when you move to a new location, and this Ofcom tool can help provide you with some direction on where to go for these services when you’re moving to a new area in the UK.
The tool gives users some general information about each of the TV, mobile phone, broadband internet, and even radio coverage in the UK. You can search by postcode or just by searching for general regions depending on what your needs are. For cellular networks you can use Ofcom’s new online tool to see 2G, 3G, and 4G coverage for all of the mobile providers in that area, and with broadband internet you can see expected download and upload speeds. You can also view Freeview TV coverage and information about the available digital radio in the area too.
For those who are unaware, Ofcom is the shortened name for the Office of Communications in the UK. The Office of Communications is the government approved regulatory authority for telecommunications, broadcasting, and the postal industries in the country. They are the equivalent of the Federal Communications Commission here in the United States. Ofcom is supposed to represent consumers and UK citizens and protect against monopolies by promoting competition. Ofcom was announced in 2001 and officially launched in December of 2003 as a kind of “super-regulator” to oversee all of these media channels. They now license all UK commercial TV and radio, and regulate the UK telecomm sector. If you live in the UK, you can hit the source link below to check out the coverage tool and see what you can see. I don’t even live in the UK, but it’s cool to play with it and see what UK residents have access to.