BBC Needs Your Help to Map 3G Coverage

The BBC is planning to map the nation's 3G coverage with the help of Android users.

Anyone who's taken a trip down the country knows that 3G coverage can be spotty when you get outside of major towns and cities. While there are coverage maps available that might warn us ahead of time, sometimes they're not as accurate as we'd like them to be. The BBC is hoping to make things easier on us by mapping the nation's 3G and 2G services with the aim of creating something separate from the maps mobile operators already have.

"Mobile operators offer their own coverage maps but no independent survey has yet been carried out," the BBC said earlier today.

However, the Beeb can't create this map alone; it's seeking the help of Android users willing to share information about the coverage in their area. Users willing to pitch in will be asked to download an app developed by network analysis firm Epitiro. This app will then record street level coverage across Britain.

Gavin Johns, chief executive of Epitiro, said that the map should help those looking to see which operator offers the best service in the area.

"Our coverage app will provide the information consumers need to see if 3G services are available and from which mobile operator. As mobile broadband is important to many of us, we hope people volunteer and make the project a success," said Johns.

iPhone owners wondering why they can't pitch in with the project will be disappointed to hear that it was multitasking that stopped the BBC from producing an iOS app, too.

"There is no iPhone app at present, because of the difficulty in making Apple devices collect such information in the background while other programmes are running," the broadcaster explained.

Read more about the project here.