How Our Business Mobile Coverage Checker Works
Choosing a business mobile network is not just about national coverage claims. What matters is how networks are likely to perform at the locations your business actually uses.
Compare predicted mobile coverage from EE, O2, Vodafone and Three at your business address. Start with the property where your team actually works, then read the category for each network alongside practical experience at the site.
How the checker compares networks
Ofcom provides one blended 4G/5G predicted coverage category per network for typical usage. The category definitions below follow Ofcom’s documented scale.
Categories described in Ofcom’s API specification
- 4
- Good in-home and outdoor
- 3
- Variable in-home, good outdoor
- 2
- Good (outdoor only)
- 1
- Variable (outdoor only)
- 0
- Poor to none (outdoor only)
- Unavailable
- Missing, conflicting or unrecognised value; no category is inferred.
One blended prediction per network for typical usage. The numeric levels are categories, not a speed test or four separate voice/data scores. Equal levels are tied.
New results use these categories directly. We do not add separate measures into a total, average categories across properties or convert them into a speed estimate.
For each lookup, the report keeps all four networks visible and preserves the relationship between the selected property and its returned predictions.
Predictions are not a live signal reading. They do not separately measure call quality, data throughput or reception in a particular room. A category is a starting point for checking service where it matters to your business.
What the coverage categories mean
A higher available category is higher on Ofcom’s documented scale. Missing, conflicting or unrecognised values are unavailable; they are never treated as the lowest category.
Any highest-category comparison applies only to the selected address and available values. Equally rated networks remain tied, so no network is chosen through a commercial preference.
Compare the available categories alongside the needs of your team. For general business requirements, see our EE vs Vodafone coverage comparison.
Why results can vary within the same postcode
Coverage can vary across addresses within the same postcode.
That is why our checker does not rely on a single postcode-level assumption alone. Looking at address-level differences can give a more realistic view of likely performance across an office, depot, industrial estate or mixed-use location. For the building-level reasons signal changes from one address to the next, see why business mobile coverage varies by location.
How tied coverage ratings are handled
Networks with the same category are shown as tied. There is no preferred-network tie-break.
EE, O2, Three and Vodafone appear in a stable display order. That list order does not rank networks; every network sharing the highest available category receives the same comparison label.
An Ofcom property reference (UPRN), where supplied, keeps the address-picker option linked to the correct report. Shared links run a fresh lookup and reselect that UPRN if it is returned again. Previously emailed and downloaded legacy reports keep their original four-metric /16 scoring and are not converted into new results.
What this checker is useful for
Businesses typically use the checker when:
- Reviewing a new SIM-only contract
- Comparing network options before switching
- Checking a depot, warehouse or office location
- Assessing multi-site rollout risk
- Understanding whether indoor performance may be weaker than outdoor performance
What the checker does not do
The checker is designed to support better decisions, not to guarantee live performance in every real-world condition.
Local building materials, handset choice, temporary congestion, and changing network conditions can all affect actual experience. The checker is best used as a practical comparison tool before deployment. For wider context on networks, tariffs and how to compare options, see our business mobile plans guide.
Want help reviewing your locations?
If you want help interpreting coverage results for one site or multiple business locations, Business Telco can help you compare the likely fit before you commit to a network.