Telstra shows mobile phone coverage test process
Filed under: customers, innovation, iPhone 4, mobile handsets, mobile internet, mobile phone, networks, news, Next G™, technology, wireless
Many people have asked us about how we test our mobile phones for coverage performance.
We’ve put together a video to help demystify how we arrive at our coverage performance recommendations for Next G™ mobiles to help Telstra customers choose the right device for them.
In particular, we explain how a mobile earns the Telstra Blue Tick – which we assign to the mobiles we recommend to customers working or living in rural coverage areas.
We hope you find it interesting.
All of those grips look likely to cause the iPhone 4 ‘Death grip’ #justsayin.
Is there a testing lab in melbourne we can get a look at?
I’d really like to hear about the results of your tests on the iPhone 4 and the notorious ‘death grip’
Warwick, the man with the Golden Handgrip !
Warwick and Anthony
Gents
this is an excellent presentation and very informative. It gave me a better understanding of how we rate our mobiles and clearly shows that it is non biased and across the board for all phones trialled.
This is something of real value that I can relay to family and friends when they ask how the blue tick is given.
Thanks, much appreciated.
Edge of coverage test without reflections! Do you believe what you are saying?
Just wondering how many people picked up there mobile to check their grip
Great video, thanks guys.
Firstly great presentation.
Was wondering if you move the phone whilst in the chamber? To simulate a walking person in a low signal area to then have a bench mark for your presumed feild testing of walking around whilst talking in a low signal area.
Or does that “movement” not effect and therefore is not done?
Reminds me of the LGTU550. Because of poor antenna placement (placed in the bottom of the phone)when you held the phone in a normal way you lost all signal. When you held it by the hinge the reception was fine. The problem with tests like these is they dont mimic real world conditions, which is why reps spent massive amounts of time travelling the country trying to test it when customers couldnt get reception.
That was great to watch. Thanks!
I wonder if a phones performance is greatly impacted in areas at edge of coverage, where coverage is provided from more than one cell. This would be a common scenario on urban fringes. This is probably where a reps experience is sometimes more useful than test results.
Coverage – we have a new phone which is less than 2 weeks old and have just been advised to switch to the 2 G network !
Hi Sue, May I ask what the circumstances were that brought about this advice? Brendan
We have had a lovely ‘Telstra Tough Tm 2′ phone for 2 weeks. Its been lucky if it has worked for a day, it is a business phone pruchased due to the “blue tick” it came with.
Today the “telstra tech team recommended we place the phone on 2 G”. Ironic really !
A fascinating story and insight.
The phone is this video, the HTC Desire. Failed the test then? Because no where on Telstra’s site do they say the HTC Desire is blue tick.
But then they don’t for the iPhone either, just in press releases.
If you’re going to do such awesome tests, Telstra. How about better disclosure of results.
if I put a rubber cover on the htc desire will I get better reception, or will the i phone 4 be just as good with the cover on ? I’d like the i phone as it has a better camera than desire which has bad reviews with the camera. I live in Bega south coast, i have a nokia 6120 which is blue tic but has a small screen, no good for viewing photos, I’m almost ready to get the desire when I read something negative and start to search again, I’m also wanting to get a phone for my son at Rosebud Vic was going to get the Desire or i phone for him as well.
HTC Desire doesn’t need a rubber case to perform better it’s antenna is internal. iPhone 4 has. great antenna but as it’s external it can lose some signal power when touched.
With a cover on the iPhone 4 should get better reception than the HTC Desire and the older iPhone 3Gs.
Anthony and Warrick
This was an excellent presentation with very informative content.
I am often asked by my friends in outback Queensland which phone to go with and I have always suggested Telstra as you seem to have the best coverage in Australia. I now understand the blue tick process and can better inform the next person that asks what is the best phone for coverage.
Regards,
Elise
The Telstra Mobile web site has two conflicting coverage performance recommendations for the Samsung Wave S8500T mobile phone. On the respective “Shop on Line” page it is “Recommended for rural handheld coverage ouside regional areas and towns”. On the “Mobile select web site it is “Recommende for handheld use in metropolitan and major regional areas. I live and work in a semi rural area and want to know which statement is correct. In addition both pages state that the phone has “a slide-out key pad which is incorrect.
Hey Anthony.
You have a group of early-adopter Nokia N8 users out here who are getting impatient about how long it it taking Telstra to release the Nokia PR 1.1 and 1.2 FW updates.
Nokia has been rolling out these updates across the planet for the past two months; however Telstra seems to be one of the last telcos to approve and release them. And early-adopters don’t like running last:-(
When can we expect them?
BTW – the Telstra \complaints\ process, where I first raised this issue, has never heard of your group, or the role that it plays. Complaints 110312-002716 and 110317-002458 refer.
Hi George. you can find out all about the Telstra Smartphone updates online here. Brendan
I still find it strange that Telstra claims that the PR1.1 update for the N8 will be released sometime in April, yet the other telcos are already providing PR1.2 for their N8s. Im starting to wonder why it takes Telstra so long
Do any Next G smart phones currently available have a Telstra Blue Tick rating? I cannot find one on the Telstra site.
To help you select the right mobile phone for your needs, Telstra has a number of Next G® mobiles that are recommended for rural handheld coverage. These mobiles are recommended if you want to maximise your coverage experience and are identified with the ‘Blue Tick’ symbol.
see our range of Next G® mobile phones
see our range of pre-paid Next G® mobile phones
Telstra should make the Blue Tick an option you can search for under the feature box when looking for a phone.
Also the same link to the prepaid mobiles has been provided twice in Brendans comment
Hi Pete, the answer is NO. The motorola defy was the only smart phone with the blue but telstra withdrew it after testing it again.
Hi Peter and William,
Available online at the moment is the Blackberry Torch which is a great smartphone.
Cheers,
S
I want to HOW Blue tick works.I have heard that it has something to do with the phones power output so as to work with the sim card and there for gives better coverage.Also why doesn’t Telstra blue tick the iphone 4 and newer models.
I had a samsung a412 which had great reception & a friend has a samsung c5220, he had to walk 300meter up a hill to get reception is their a published list of the detailed results for all current blue tick phones
My wife has an iphone 4s and I have the Samsung 5220. Both bought last week, both blue tick. At our new home my wifes phone has a clear reception and the samsung does have any. Which phone does Telstra recommend that has the better performance from the blue tick range, it does not need to be a smart phone.Can we see the test results to allow us to choose the best of the best , so to speak.
Telstra is obviously getting an actual figure from these tests. I’d like that figure made public so we can buy the phone with the best Blue Tick rating (if we need it).
Why not put that on the consumer site instead of (or as well) as the vague descriptions?