The NMHH’s novel way of testing mobile coverage breaks away from a peloton of international approaches that have tended to rely on theoretical projections
The NMHH is rolling out a new methodology for mobile coverage testing on cycle routes
On 17 September 2026, the Hungarian National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH) announced that it had adopted a new methodology for assessing mobile coverage that relies on cycle testing, as opposed to more traditional drive or field testing. According to the regulator, the choice of methodology was encouraged by Hungary's 4,000km network of bicycle paths, a significant proportion of which pass through more remote areas, such as forests and valleys, that are harder to reach by car – the primary vehicle for previous testing activities. Alongside this announcement, the NMHH held a cycling measurement day, where it invited experts from Hungary’s three major mobile network operators (Magyar Telekom, One and Yettel) to teach them about how the new testing methodology, tools and processes work in practice.
Connectivity along cycle routes is needed primarily for navigation and emergency calling purposes
The cycle testing will be technology-neutral, meaning that its results will not differentiate between 4G and 5G, instead focusing on the broader availability and quality of mobile services. The NMHH stated that providing information about whether there is adequate mobile connectivity in an area or not is more useful than more detailed differentiations between technologies across cycle routes. It explained that cyclists mainly need to be able to use their phones for navigation and emergency calling rather than for more advanced use cases that may typically require 5G services.
The regulator’s announcement also made clear that the new cycle testing methodology was not intended to specifically measure just one operator’s coverage. It stated that its own testing is being used to produce objective and comparable results across all three operators, better informing consumers of which operator may be best for them. The NMHH added that a more accurate view of the Hungarian cycling network’s coverage would only become available gradually, as there is currently no systematic database that would allow it to provide a preliminary coverage estimate at this stage.
The regulator’s approach marks a notable departure from international trends in mobile coverage reporting
The NMHH’s approach is unique internationally, primarily for its use of cycle testing as a means of measuring mobile coverage, but also because of its own responsibilities in applying the methodology. The NMHH’s decision to conduct these tests itself differs from other regulators, with most relying on operator-produced signal strength projections complemented by minimal regulator testing and crowdsourced data. There are similarities, however, with Ofcom in the UK, whose Map Your Mobile tool (made available in July 2025) does not differentiate between mobile technologies, instead focusing on broad coverage availability and quality. Both Ofcom and the NMHH have also recognised that publicly available coverage measurements need to better reflect the lived experience of consumers, which results based on signal strength projections alone often fail to do.
