Three 3G network coverage API
Charges
This API is free for everyone – all you need to have is an account with aql. Please contact us to obtain an account
Connection details
The Three coverage API is available via our HTTP POST interface: https://gw.aql.com/three/data_coverage.api.php (or http)
Although we do offer the standard HTTP gateway, we prefer that your application uses the HTTPS gateway as it prevents sensitive details being “sniffed” across the internet.
Gateway parameters
The gateway expects the following parameters:
| Parameter Name | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| username | Yes | Your aql username |
| password | Yes | Your aql password |
| postcode | Yes | The postcode to lookup. In a whitespace-less format, e.g.: LS101JQ. |
Gateway return values
On success, the gateway will return the following parameters
| Parameter Name | Value Description |
|---|---|
| status | 200 |
| desc | OK |
| postcode | Formatted postcode from the query parameter by removing all whitespace characters. |
| congestion | Congestion band category. Possible values: Blue: no congestion area. Green: insignificant congestion area. Amber: congested area. Red: heavily congested area. |
| indoor_type | Indicate if an area has a good indoor/outdoor coverage. Possible values: out-and-indoor: coverage available outdoor and indoor outdoor-only: coverage is available outdoor only. |
The default format of the retuned data is:
<status>: <description>. <postcode>: <congestion> – <indoor_type>
where the items in angle brackets will be replaced with their actual values.
If the return-mode or return-format parameters are set in the original request, the returned string will be different depending on the format you choose.
Gateway error values
If the call was not successful, the gateway will return the following parameters:
| Parameter Name | Value Description |
|---|---|
| status | Status code for the type of error (see Below). |
| desc | A string with a short description of the error. |
The format of the retuned data is:
<status>: <desc>
where the items in brackets will be replaced with their actual values.
If the return-mode parameter is set to ‘url’, the format of the returned data will be different. See below for details.
Status codes
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| 200 | OK |
| 401 | Authentication error. |
| 6200 | Invalid postcode parameter. |
| 6201 | No coverage data available. |
Note: *status code 6201 means 3UK 3G Data coverage databases do not contain any information on this particular postcode.