Almost half of Britain cannot browse internet because of poor mobile signal

Yahoo

01-04-2025

Britain's mobile coverage is so patchy that almost half the country struggles to browse the internet, data have revealed.
The four mobile network operators have 'acceptable' coverage across just 55pc of the country's landmass on average, leaving large swathes of the population with sluggish connections, according to figures compiled by mobile data firm Streetwave.
The research appears to underscore concerns among Britons that shoddy mobile signal is frustrating consumers and damaging productivity.
Kester Mann, an analyst at CCS Insight, said the analysis 'highlights, once again, the disappointing performance of UK mobile networks'.
He added: 'This is a combination of several factors, including a lack of investment from the industry, the mandated swap-out of equipment from Huawei, environmental push-back against the deployment of new masts and burdensome planning restrictions.'
The research found significant disparity between the performance of the UK's four mobile networks.
EE's coverage levels were the highest at 69pc, followed by Vodafone at 61pc. O2's acceptable coverage reached just 50pc, while Three lagged well behind on 38pc.
Overall, however, the results for all providers are below the official data compiled by regulator Ofcom in September stating geographic 4G coverage is in the range of 88pc to 89pc.
Sir Terry Matthews, the Welsh billionaire and an investor in Streetwave, said the data were 'enabling the industry to have a candid conversation around how coverage can be improved in the UK, while empowering consumers to make informed choices about which mobile network best meets their needs'.
An operator is considered to have 'acceptable' coverage where their network provides users with 5 Mbps download speeds, 2 Mbps upload speeds, and latency below 40ms on any connection ranging from 2G to 5G.
These are the speeds at which most mobile functions including browsing the internet, streaming videos and joining conference calls can be carried out. Any drop below this level would be likely to result in a compromised user experience, such as videos buffering and images taking time to load.
The survey was conducted in 113 councils across the UK, representing 37pc of the UK's geography and around 19m people. It was carried out by attaching signal readers to rubbish collection lorries, measuring mobile performance outside virtually every home and business in each council area.
Mobile UK, which represents mobile network operators, said it disputed the findings of the research.
A spokesman said: 'While we acknowledge that all models, including our own, involve predictive elements, Streetwave's conclusions are based on an extremely limited dataset, derived from just a third of councils across four nations, and are heavily skewed towards rural, low-population density areas. This significantly restricts its applicability to the broader UK mobile landscape.
'While we do not agree with these findings it once again puts in sharp focus the need for the Government to better prioritise mobile deployment in its policy making.'
An Ofcom spokesman said: 'Streetwave's coverage data isn't directly comparable to ours, which comes from mobile network operators' predictions and may not always match people's real-world experience at a very local level.
'We're working hard to improve the data we use, and we will relaunch our mobile coverage checker later this year with new and improved information to better reflect what people can expect.'
Poor mobile connectivity has become a major political issue, with MPs lining up to bemoan patchy coverage, especially in rural areas.
The first stage of a £1bn government-backed project to stamp out so-called 'not spots' in rural areas has now been completed and a target of reaching 95pc of the UK's landmass with at least one provider by the end of the year has already been met.
However, ministers are now discussing watering down the second stage of the programme, the Shared Rural Network, in a move that is likely to anger mobile companies.
Vodafone and Three are in the process of combining in a £15bn merger that will create the UK's largest mobile network. The companies have long argued that the tie-up was necessary to upgrade the country's sluggish 5G connectivity.
Angus Hay, the chief executive of Streetwave, said: 'A collaborative approach is needed to improve mobile connectivity across the UK. This includes continued private and public investment into the networks, as well as local efforts by councils and planning authorities to support infrastructure investments.
'Our findings raise significant questions around whether there is need for an extension to the Shared Rural Network programme to further support rural communities.'
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.