IT&Telecom companies comment on the government's mission for better mobile coverage

On Friday, the government announced measures to be implemented to evaluate mobile coverage and mobile operators' coverage maps, and to facilitate the roll-out of mobile networks. The background to the measures, which the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) is required to implement, is the recent debate that the coverage maps presented by mobile operators do not correspond to the reality experienced by subscribers and that the sharp increase in data traffic in mobile networks results in a lack of capacity, which can also be perceived as poor coverage.

IT&Telecom companies within Almega welcome the initiatives because they, in a constructive way and without pointing fingers, complement the decision-making basis for decisions on mobile coverage. The Government's goal that there should be good telephony, good broadband and good mobile coverage throughout the country is a matter of course and something that the industry players are also working actively and long-term to ensure.

One of the assignments is to carry out random measurements of mobile operators' coverage. A survey of coverage in relation to coverage maps is good because the maps used today have created dissatisfaction among consumers. It is also good that it is made clear that different models of phones can have different reception characteristics.

An important component in this context is also the identification of obstacles to deployment, which is the second task assigned to PTS. There are many actors involved in deployment, for example regarding access to land for masts.

The third mission is to identify roll-out plans at a comprehensive level and provide input for a long-term plan to further improve mobile coverage. This is in the interest of the whole market.

However, IT&Telecom would like to emphasize that it is important to realize in the investigations that the market is not only made up of mobile operators, but to a very large extent also includes the state and municipalities. The long-term plan for mobile coverage in Sweden should therefore include the state, state-owned companies such as Teracom and Svenska Kraftnät, as well as municipalities - as these parties strongly influence the possibilities for an effective expansion throughout the country.