Key facts
- UK mobile internet coverage is worse than in any of the 27 EU member countries and all other G7 nations.
- The UK ranks 57th globally for network performance, 70th for download speeds, and 55th for consistent quality.
- More than a third of UK customers reported problems with their mobile service in the past year.
- 4G coverage in the UK stands at 84%, while 5G coverage is at 64%.
- Poor mobile signal coverage was noted on Britain's railways.
Mobile internet coverage in the UK is significantly worse than in other major developed economies, including all 27 European Union member states and G7 nations, according to an analysis by consumer group Which? using data from Opensignal. The UK's mobile infrastructure lags behind on crucial metrics such as network performance, download speeds, and consistent quality, impacting activities like video calls and streaming.
Despite having some of the cheapest mobile internet costs among peer countries, the UK's performance places it 57th globally for network performance, 70th for download speeds, and 55th for consistent quality. Over a third of customers reported issues with their mobile service in the past 12 months, including dropped connections and slow speeds.
While 4G coverage across all operators in the UK reached 84% in the year to May, 5G coverage stood at only 64%, leaving many areas, particularly rural ones, without faster mobile internet. Which? highlighted particularly poor mobile signal coverage on Britain's railways, which also affects onboard Wi-Fi. This contrasts with Germany, which has implemented minimum download speed requirements along its main railway lines.
Which? stated that the UK's mobile infrastructure is not keeping pace with user needs and called for government, Ofcom, and industry collaboration to increase investment and remove barriers to network upgrades, such as inflexible planning rules and disputes over land value for mobile towers.