There are no reliable maps available that show network coverage (2G, 3G or both combined) using the same measurement methodology for all of the networks.
Ofcom did some in 2009, but things have changed quite a lot since then, so they can't really be used.
Originally Posted by jclegs:
“The coverage maps in that article for VF/O2/Orange are 2G maps, only 3's map shows 3G coverage”
Not just that, but the maps used are those provided by the networks. They don't all use the same algorithms to predict coverage, meaning that you could end up with one network overestimating their coverage and another underestimating it.
Originally Posted by Stiggles:
“Sorry but where are you seeing that?”
The article (quite stupidly) assigns a number to each network.
I assumed that they were ranked in order of "best to worst", but that isn't the case.
The actual order (best to worst) is:
Three (90%)
EE - Orange/T-Mobile (80%)
Giffgaff (75%)
Vodafone (70%)
O2 (60%)
-Vodafone does badly because they have a poor selection of PAYG data options.
-O2 does worse than Giffgaff because the pricing is comparatively high for the same service