Terms governing your use of Trail Signal — Last updated: 19 February 2026 · Last reviewed: 20 February 2026
1. Agreement to Terms
By accessing or using Trail Signal (the website at trailsignal.uk and the Android mobile application), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, you should not use the service.
Trail Signal is operated from the United Kingdom. These terms are governed by English law.
2. What Trail Signal Does
Trail Signal is a mapping tool designed to help hikers and walkers understand mobile phone signal coverage along walking routes in the United Kingdom. The app displays:
Topographic maps with contours, rights of way, and terrain
Predicted mobile coverage from Ofcom (the UK telecoms regulator)
Inferred cell tower locations compiled from public datasets
Community-contributed signal observations from other users
Drive test signal measurements from Ofcom field surveys
3. Data Accuracy and Limitations
⚠
Trail Signal provides coverage information on a best-effort basis. No guarantee of accuracy is made or implied. Coverage data should be treated as indicative only and must not be relied upon for safety-critical decisions.
Cell Tower Locations
The cell tower locations shown in Trail Signal are inferred estimates, not verified ground-truth positions. They are compiled from publicly available datasets and computational analysis:
Ofcom Sitefinder (2012) — the most recent comprehensive UK mast survey published by Ofcom, now over a decade old. Many towers have since been relocated, upgraded, or decommissioned.
OpenCellID — a crowdsourced database where tower positions are estimated from smartphone observations. Positional accuracy varies and can be 100 metres or more from the actual tower.
Ofcom Wireless Telegraphy Register — records of licensed microwave backhaul links, which provide indirect evidence of tower presence.
We have made a best effort to validate and cross-reference these sources using terrain analysis, line-of-sight raycasting, and spatial attribution (see our full methodology). However:
The dataset contains over 114,000 sites across the UK. It is not feasible to individually verify every location on the ground.
Accurate, real-time cell tower location data is proprietary to the mobile network operators (EE, Three, O2, Vodafone) and is not publicly available. Operators treat this information as commercially sensitive and do not publish it. The datasets available to us and to the public are inherently incomplete and approximate.
Tower positions may be inaccurate by anywhere from a few metres to several hundred metres.
Some towers shown may no longer exist; some existing towers may not be shown.
Network sharing arrangements (such as MBNL between EE and Three, or CTIL between O2 and Vodafone) mean operator attribution may not always be correct.
Ofcom Predicted Coverage
The Ofcom coverage layers show predicted signal coverage as modelled by Ofcom using propagation algorithms and operator-supplied data. This is not the same as measured, real-world coverage. Actual signal availability depends on:
Weather conditions and atmospheric effects
Vegetation, buildings, and terrain not captured in the model
Your specific handset and its antenna capabilities
Network congestion and temporary outages
Time since the model was last updated by Ofcom
Community Signal Data
Community Signal observations come from other users' recorded walks. This data reflects what those users' devices measured at a particular time and place. Signal conditions change constantly, and a reading from one device on one day may not reflect what you will experience. Observations are snapped to a 50-metre grid, introducing additional positional rounding.
What This Means For You
Do not rely on Trail Signal as your sole means of determining whether you will have phone signal.
Always carry appropriate safety equipment on walks in remote areas
Do not assume you will be able to make an emergency call based on coverage shown in this app
Coverage information is provided to help you plan, not to replace proper preparation
If reliable communication is essential to your safety, consider carrying a satellite communicator or personal locator beacon (PLB)
4. Your Account
You may create an account using Google Sign-In. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. You agree to provide accurate information and to notify us if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account.
5. Acceptable Use
You agree not to:
Use the service for any unlawful purpose
Attempt to access other users' data or accounts
Scrape, bulk-download, or systematically extract data from the service beyond normal app usage
Reverse-engineer the application or its APIs
Upload malicious content or content that infringes the rights of others
Deliberately submit false or misleading signal data
6. Your Content
You retain ownership of any GPX routes you upload and any track recordings you create. By uploading content, you grant Trail Signal a licence to store and process it for the purpose of providing the service to you.
By contributing data to the Community Signal layer, you grant Trail Signal a perpetual, royalty-free licence to use, display, and distribute that anonymised data as part of the coverage map. This data cannot be traced back to you (see our Privacy Policy for anonymisation details).
7. Third-Party Data and Attribution
Trail Signal incorporates data from third-party sources, each with their own licence terms:
Ofcom — predicted coverage data and Sitefinder records are Crown copyright, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0
OpenCellID — cell tower data licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0
Mapzen / Nextzen — terrain elevation tiles
8. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law:
Trail Signal is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.
We do not warrant that coverage data, cell tower locations, or signal information is accurate, complete, or current.
We shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the service.
We shall not be liable for any loss, injury, or harm resulting from reliance on coverage information displayed in the app.
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under English law.
9. Service Availability
We aim to keep Trail Signal available at all times, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The service may be temporarily unavailable for maintenance, updates, or due to circumstances beyond our control. We reserve the right to modify or discontinue the service at any time.
10. Termination
You may stop using Trail Signal at any time. You may delete your account data by contacting us at the address below. We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these terms.
11. Changes to These Terms
We may update these terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the app. Continued use of the service after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.
12. Governing Law
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from these terms or your use of the service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.