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Highlighting the impact of poor performance on consumers, data shows that mobile users in the UK had the least reliable experience on average among G7 countries in 2024.
According to a survey by research firm OpenSignal, the UK scored 859 points in the mobile reliability experience from July 1st to September 28th, followed by Italy with 861 points and Japan with 925 points.
Britain has lagged behind its peers in high-speed fifth-generation mobile phone networks, partly due to disruption caused by the government’s ban on equipment made by Chinese company Huawei.
Experts also blame the lack of reliability on low investment and delays in planning permission for communications towers.
The UK ranked last among G7 developed economies for mobile reliability experience on a scale of 100 to 1,000 points. We measured the ability of mobile users tracked by Opensignal to connect to a mobile network and successfully complete basic tasks, covering all mobile network generations from 2G to 5G.
Kester Mann, director of consumer and connectivity at research group CCS Insight, said the UK’s poor performance reflected “a lack of industry investment, Huawei’s infrastructure switchover, long-standing planning issues and a surge in demand”. He said there was.
Sam Fenwick, principal analyst at OpenSignal, pointed to similar reasons for the UK’s ranking, saying there was a lack of investment in mobile networks and programs to replace Huawei’s kit, and that “the carriers’ focus is “Some of the capital investment has been diverted from network deployment.”
He also cited difficulties in obtaining planning permission for the mast, which he said were “exacerbated by a lack of public awareness of what modern mobile infrastructure looks like, and by nimbleness”.
Among UK regions, users in Yorkshire and the Humber had the most reliable mobile experience on average between 1 July and 28 September, while users in Wales were the most negatively affected. Ta.
Mr Fenwick said the findings had implications for digital inclusion, noting that it was “important that poorer parts of the UK are not left behind”.
Industry body Mobile UK said mobile network operators are committed to delivering modern 5G networks and are investing billions of pounds every year.
“Decisive government action to streamline planning processes, prioritize national infrastructure goals, secure more affordable spectrum, and create a supportive regulatory environment” will maximize the impact of investments and ensure the nation’s digital It will help support the future, he added.
As part of the approval of the merger of Vodafone’s domestic operations with CK Hutchison’s Three UK, the companies’ £11bn network upgrade commitment will be overseen by UK telecoms regulator Ofcom and antitrust watchdog Competition and Markets Authority. will be done.
Mobile users in the UK also suffered the slowest average 5G download speeds of the G7 countries in 2023, according to the study.
The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology says: “Access to fast and reliable mobile and broadband coverage is essential to enable the changes needed for our nation to thrive.”
Ministers said: “By 2030, we will reach every population center in the UK by removing planning barriers in a community-sensitive way and ensuring our networks are secure from foreign interference by hostile powers.” The mission was to provide complete Gigabit and standalone 5G coverage. he added.
