UK mobile signal now fails 1 in 5 times
Key Points
- Ofcom said UK mobile users get adequate performance less than four fifths of the time
- The UK sits in the bottom third of comparable countries for mobile performance
- Ofcom wants good connectivity available at least 90% of the time
- Operators have invested around £10 billion in UK networks since 2020
- Openreach can raise copper prices from April 2029 in areas with 90%+ ultrafast coverage
Ofcom said UK mobile users get the performance needed for everyday tasks less than four fifths of the time, despite operators spending around £10 billion on their networks since 2020.
Natalie Black, Group Director for Infrastructure and Connectivity at Ofcom, set out the figures in a speech to the Connected Britain conference in London on Wednesday (9 September).
The UK ranks in the bottom third of comparable advanced economies for overall mobile performance, according to the regulator’s international comparisons.
Ofcom wants that figure to rise to at least 90% of the time, wherever people happen to be.
“Nobody cares how many bars they have if their video call freezes,” said Black. “They care whether it works.”
Competition has pushed average mobile prices down by around a fifth in real terms over the last five years, while average data use has more than doubled over the same period.
Black said coverage on a map is not the same as a connection people can count on, and that moving into the top tier of countries for mobile performance will require action from operators, regulators and government together.
Ofcom pointed to the Vodafone-Three merger, its Map Your Mobile tool and its Connectivity You Can Count On programme as steps already taken to improve the quality of service people receive in large venues, rural areas and on the rail network.
The regulator is releasing more than 5 GHz of mmWave spectrum to ease capacity bottlenecks in the busiest parts of the UK, and is enabling direct-to-device satellite services to reach areas mobile masts cannot.
It also plans to open up the Upper 6 GHz band, which will add capacity for both mobile and Wi-Fi services.
Ofcom published findings from a mobile pilot with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority earlier this year, alongside national data on planning approval rates for mobile sites.
Black said different parts of the country will need different solutions, and that Ofcom wants to give local leaders the data they need to remove practical barriers to better coverage.
The same speech confirmed that Openreach will be allowed to raise copper broadband prices from April 2029 in exchange areas where more than 90% of premises can access ultrafast connections.
Ofcom said the move creates a clear incentive for households and businesses to switch to full fibre before the end of the decade.
Full-fibre availability has grown from less than a quarter of UK premises at the start of the decade to more than three quarters today, and nine in ten homes can now access ultrafast broadband.
More than three million people have used One Touch Switch to move provider since the service launched.
Ofcom also announced two AI workstreams launching later this month, one examining how AI is affecting the experience of telecoms customers and another looking at how defensive AI can be deployed under its cyber security regulations.
