6 hours ago
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British holidaymakers watching online videos while they sit on a European beach this summer are likely to be pleasantly surprised: the signal should be better than at home.
Mobile coverage in the UK is worse than in any of the 27 EU member countries, and every other member of the G7 group of large economies, according to analysis by consumer group Which? of data from Opensignal.
The UK has some of the cheapest mobile internet costs among peer countries, with three main networks after the merger of Vodafone and Three, as well as a host of virtual operators vying for business. However, it has lagged behind on other measures such as coverage and speeds.
According to the analysis, it ranks 57th globally for network performance, 70th for download speeds and 55th for the consistent quality needed for activities such as video calls, streaming and gaming. More than a third of customers reported at least one problem with their mobile service in the past 12 months, including connection drop-outs and slow speeds, in polling by Which?.
The rankings suggest that the UK lags behind similar countries for the mobile infrastructure that is crucial to a modern economy – as well as the ability to watch cat videos on the move.
Coverage of the UK by 4G networks across all operators rose by three percentage points in the year to May to reach 84%, according to Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator. However, coverage for 5G from all operators was only 64%, leaving large parts of the country – particularly in rural areas – without faster mobile internet speeds.
Natalie Hitchins, head of home products and services at Which?, said: “Getting a good-value mobile deal counts for very little if you’re constantly battling poor signal, slow data speeds or dropped connections. Customers deserve a service that delivers reliable performance as well as value for money.
“Our investigation shows the UK’s mobile infrastructure is no longer keeping pace with people’s needs. The government, Ofcom and industry must work together to improve investment, ensure coverage targets reflect real-world performance and remove barriers that are holding back network upgrades.”
Barriers to investments are said to include inflexible planning rules, and disputes between landowners and operators over the value of land used for mobile towers.
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Which? also highlighted poor mobile signal coverage on Britain’s railways, which affects mobile phones and onboard wifi connections.
The consumer group said the UK’s railway coverage compared poorly with Germany, which has introduced minimum download speeds of 100Mbps along main railway lines and 50Mbps along other railway routes.
The G7 members are: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US.
