It was carried out by a firm called Regulaid, who tested coverage by driving the roads of the islands and using dashboard mounted mobile phones.
CICRA Chief Executive, Michael Byrne, said: “As part of the process of awarding spectrum to operate 4G, operators were required to lodge ‘performance bonds’ with CICRA to ensure that targets for coverage were met within a committed timeframe from launch. The bonds have been repaid to Sure, JT and Airtel as a consequence of this audit.”
“These average speeds and coverage levels are excellent; on a par with some of the best performing cities in the UK and in places we have seen peak speeds well in excess of 100mbps on each of the networks.”
Pictured: Maps showing 4G coverage of the island’s mobile networks – JT (top), Sure (left), Airtel Vodafone (right).
CICRA says that a study conducted in the UK last year of the four main rival telecoms operators, found that, apart from EE in some cases, all operators failed to hit a 90% coverage rate in 14 of the most populated areas.
“Overall this is very good news for the Channel Islands and demonstrates our mobile connectivity is among the best in the British Isles.”
So far, both Sure and JT have used the results to promote their networks. In this particular survey, while Sure scored highest for downloading speeds, JT was rated as having faster uploading speeds.
JT’s Daragh Mc Dermott said:
“It’s always pleasing to see the CI networks compared very favourably to those available in the UK – this study relates to the mobile network, but the quality difference is there on JT’s fixed-line broadband network too.”
And Sure’s Ian Kelly added:
“Sure’s 4G and 4G+ networks are the result of a multi-million pound investment made to equip the islands with an infrastructure that enables them to punch well above their weight when it comes to superfast mobile services; we’re enormously proud of them as they deliver the very best 4G and 4G+ experiences and are pleased that CICRA’s findings back up our investment commitment.”
You can view the 4G coverage maps here.