Over the past two decades, connectivity has become more crucial than ever, and in remote areas it can be the difference between isolation and community. That’s why we’ve been testing phones for the past 15 years to see if they deserve a Blue Tick.
The Telstra Blue Tick is the brand we give to phones that our technicians and engineers have thoroughly tested to ensure they offer superior voice coverage in rural and regional areas.
We try all the phones we sell on our network, but only the best ones get a Blue Tick.
More than a coverage map
When you are confident about where you can find coverage in remote areas, being able to rely on the Blue Tick on different devices is a source of pride for us. There are many factors that can affect the strength of the signal, but with the Blue Tick tests, one of the most important we test is how our body impacts the signal.
When you pick up the phone, your hand and all the precious things in your body, which are mostly made up of water, work to absorb and almost block parts of the signal. Engineers call it a “mismatch” effect and it can have a real impact on your overall coverage.
In fact, the position and size of your hand are so important that we’ve used the same type and hand for more than a decade to hold the devices under test to ensure consistency.
The antenna power of a phone can also make a big difference in terms of connectivity, which is something we test on all of our connected devices. Even a small amount of extra signal strength (measured in dBM) can result in extra miles of coverage when you’re on the edge of connectivity.
How do we test Blue Tick
@maxhawker
If you’re having trouble getting mobile coverage in regional areas, don’t leave your phone unattended. Watch this video! #bluetick #telstra #partner
Original sound – Max Hawker
When Blue Tick started, a crack team of Telstra technicians and engineers worked on a series of devices to test exactly how they worked. While they were out there, they pioneered a testing regime that is still in use today.
Originally, the tests were only done with our 3G network, but in recent years, the test of voice calls on our 4G VoLTE network has become part of the process, with Samsung’s Galaxy S8 the first 4G phone to receive the Blue Tick in 2017.
These days we don’t have to go out into the bush for every test, but we can do most of our testing in device testing facilities designed for this purpose. Here, we can simulate exactly how a new phone would work as if it were in your hand on the edge of a coverage area.
We seal phones in our specialized camera without echo to ensure accurate testing and only the best performing devices receive the prestige of wearing the Blue Tick. And to make sure the phone works well, we then take it out to rural areas to replicate the test results to confirm its performance.
We have the tech genius Max Hawker here to show you how it works.
Blue Tick Coverage Tips
If you want to get all the coverage you can and make the most of your Blue Tick phone, here are some tips to follow directly from our lab.
- Grab your phone as lightly as possible – the way you hold the phone is very important. So the next time you try to make a call on the edge of coverage, try not to squeeze the life out of your phone.
- Turn on Wi-Fi and SMS calls: If you have coverage outside, but not in-house, you can turn on Wi-Fi calling and texting to make phone calls or send text messages as usual over the Internet at home, even without mobile coverage.
- Use headset or headset to make calls: You don’t have to worry about how you carry your phone if you don’t, right?
- Look at repeaters or antennas – an external antenna or repeater is much larger than the phone’s antenna and can pick up coverage that the phone cannot. Then repeat this signal over short distances so that the phone connects.
Blue Tick devices for any budget
Blue Tick is not just for premium devices. Whether you’re looking for something basic or the latest and greatest, there are Blue Tick devices in our entire range.
Premium selection
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Mid-range selection
Samsung Galaxy A73 5G
Budget selection
Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
By Harry Tucker
Specialist Writer – Telstra
Harry is a writer and technology editor at the Telstra Exchange. Harry joined Telstra in late 2020 after being trapped in the trenches of technology and startup space. Previously, he was the technology editor of Business Insider, the Australian launch publisher of telecommunications comparison site Reviews.org and a journalist for News.com.au. He loves to break down really technical topics and make them digestible and fun to read for everyone. Outside of work, he has a weird ability to turn every conversation into something about Formula 1 or the NBA.