The BBC has embarked on a nationwide project to map the availability of 2G and 3G mobile coverage across the UK.
The BBC said that it would publish a mobile coverage interactive map similar to the one published by telecom regulator Ofcom i the first week of this month.
To carry out the survey, the BBC will use an app developed by network analysis firm Epitiro for handsets running on Google’s Android platform.
Technical difficulties have prevented the company from making an app for Apple phones, said the BBC.
Though some mobile operators have their own coverage maps of the UK, no major survey has been carried out by an independent body, claims the broadcaster.
The BBC said that the survey would not measure network speed in the project.
Earlier this month, communications regulator Ofcom published its first interactive fixed line broadband map of the UK.
The map shows that nearly 70% of the UK has broadband access, but speeds and uptakes varying greatly in urban and rural areas.
Ofcom used actual data provided by communications providers to build the interactive map which covered 200 administrative authorities.
Each area was been ranked on how they score on four broadband metrics, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 the highest or fastest, and 5 the lowest or slowest. The areas were also colour coded with green ranking highest, and red lowest.
The four metrics measured by Ofcom are: availability of superfast broadband; average broadband take-up; average actual speeds for ADSL and cable services averaged across each area; and the percentage of homes with broadband currently not receiving 2Mbps speeds.
