Four in 10 struggle to access mobile signal on the move in the UK | Mobile phones
Four in 10 people in the UK struggle to access 4G or 5G from their mobile devices for at least half the time they are on the move, according to a survey highlighting the poor state of the country’s digital infrastructure.
The survey of more than 2,000 digital device users found that 45% of respondents experience frustration with mobile connectivity outside of the home at least once a week. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, that figure rose to 57%.
Connectivity issues were less common at home, but more than a quarter (27%) of respondents experience frustration with their Wi-Fi connection at least once a week.
The study, commissioned from Survation by property consultancy Cluttons, follows a sharp decline in the UK’s position in the global league table for mobile download speeds.
Last year, the UK fell to 59th place in mobile download speeds, from 53rd in 2024 and 51st in 2023.
The UK ranks 44th in the world for landline download speeds.
Survation found that 21 per cent of the 103 MPs it surveyed were contacted at least once a week by residents struggling with slow or unstable broadband connections.
Successive governments have called on telecommunications providers to accelerate the rollout of superfast broadband and mobile connectivity, and some elements of the network are reaching coverage in other European countries.
The proportion of premises with access to full fiber and gigabit-capable broadband reached 86% in the UK; this rate is 80% in Germany and 73% in Italy. France has 86% coverage and Spain has 100% coverage.
Critics argue that the digital network in the UK has largely expanded into areas that are easier to access and therefore more profitable.
Some city center broadband speeds are among the slowest in the UK due to public service congestion; In rural areas, longer distances between homes carry extra installation costs.
“Digital connectivity is fundamental to the UK’s economic growth and acts as the backbone of a modern, productive economy,” said Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on digital communities.
Poor connectivity restricts productivity and competitiveness, he said, adding: “This is particularly serious in rural areas, where businesses are reporting loss of revenue, operational delays and reduced productivity. That’s why the rollout of digital infrastructure is critical. Investment in full fiber and mobile networks is not just about faster speeds, it is also about driving wider economic transformation.”
Cluttons said the findings were based on analysis by ISPreview UK. Ookla dataIt revealed the “disturbing gap between the UK’s ambitions and its achievement”.
Economic modeling based on survey data by Assembly Research has found that increasing mobile coverage across railways from the current 50% average to 80% could unlock efficiency gains of around £3bn over the next decade, delivering more than 66 million hours of passenger productivity by 2035.
Last week the government announced the technology would be deployed on more than 1,400 trains across the UK, allowing them to connect to low earth satellites. Ministers said this would provide faster and more reliable service than mobile networks that currently support built-in Wi-Fi.
