The World Mobile Broadband coverage is a 1km resolution raster grid (1/0) representation of cellular mobile wireless Internet access. The grid has been compiled using data information from Collins Bartholomew’s GSMA Mobile Coverage Explorer database and was computed using both operators’ submission to Global System for Mobile Communication (GSMA) and OpenCell ID cell tower database.
The dataset includes operator’s submission coverage for 3G with strong signal, 4G strong signal and 5G, sourced from the network operators from submissions made directly to Collins Bartholomew or to GSMA, from operators who provide roaming detail for inclusion in the GSMA’s Network Coverage Maps web application.
This data is supplemented with coverage created from OpenCellID tower locations. These interpolated locations have been used as the centre points of a radius of coverage: 12 kilometres for 2G (GSM networks), 4km for 3G and 4G networks, and 500m for 5G networks. These circles of coverage from each tower have then been merged to create an overall representation of network coverage.
Mobile Coverage is released annually in January each year. The latest data source release is named 2023. Any operator data received up to the end of the year 2022 is included in this release. The coverage data source is supplied in two folders to differentiate the two sources of data – Data_MCE and Data_OCI.
More information on Collins Bartholomew's Mobile Coverage Maps at https://www.collinsbartholomew.com/mobile-coverage-maps/
Data revision: 2023-07-20
Citation:
Coverage Data © Collins Bartholomew and GSMA 2022
Contact points:
Resource Contact: Nelson Rosas Ribeiro Filho
Metadata Contact: FAO-Data
Resource Contact: Data source Collins Bartholomew
Data lineage:
Operator submissions are an incomplete data source. The percentage number of licensed operators that submitted their coverage data compared to the total number of GSMA operators members is indicated here below, for each technology:
Technology -- % Operator Submissions
2G -- 56%
3G -- 50%
4G -- 30%
5G -- 6%
OpenCellID database has several limitations:
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Values for the radius of coverage from tower locations are estimated;
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Tower locations are derived from data collected from mobile phone users and so the coverage tends to be concentrated along routes and built-up areas;
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Only a small number of Android or Blackberry apps collect data and so the coverage tends to be concentrated in countries where certain apps are popular.
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The accuracy of tower locations is dependent on multiple measurements to the same tower. The tower’s location is the average position of mobile phone users receiving signals from that tower
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The derived coverage does not take account of obstructing factors such as terrain variations.
Because of these limitations, the OCI data is intended to fill the gaps where network operators have not yet submitted coverage data and should be viewed as an approximation only.
Further information on OpenCelliD tower locations can be found at their What Is OpenCelliD and Glossary pages.
Resource constraints:
Access to data is limited to FAO internal users.
The Coverage Data is for research use only and may not be used for commercial purposes; for clarification, the use of the data to support research that is partially funded by a corporate source does not constitute a commercial purpose. The Coverage Data may be represented in research results as static images, tables or text as necessary to convey research findings, and all screen images derived or generated from the Coverage Data should incorporate the following acknowledgement: Coverage Data © Collins Bartholomew and GSMA 2022. The data may not be redistributed in its raw form.
Online resources:
HarperCollins Publishers
