UK Mobile Network Performance Lags Behind Official Claims, Data Reveals

Analysis of more than 25,000 phone signal tests reveals that Britain's mobile network is significantly overloaded, leaving up to one in five users unable to make calls in some regions. The findings, compiled by the app Buffering Britain, contradict official claims by regulator Ofcom, which states that 96 percent of the population has good 4G coverage.

Damning data suggests that millions of people experience poor signal or no service at all due to widespread blackspots. Buffering Britain's audit indicates that as many as two in five mobile users struggle to stream video clips or use social media, and up to one in five in certain areas cannot reliably make phone calls. Consumer group Which? reports that UK mobile coverage is less effective than in all 27 EU member countries and other major economies within the G7 group.

Data usage in the UK is increasing by 20 percent annually. However, phone operators face challenges in expanding their infrastructure, as the construction of new mobile masts is frequently hindered by planning officers due to local objections. The issues highlighted by Buffering Britain are consistent with early findings from another national audit that maps phone networks using trackers on refuse lorries and trains.

For example, data from Dorset shows only 63.5 percent of the county has 'good' 4G coverage from any single operator, a stark contrast to Ofcom's reported figure of 99.9 percent for the county. The Dorset survey also found that just 82.2 percent of the county's road network has 'basic' coverage, making mobile calls difficult or impossible across nearly a fifth of the region. Streetwave, a government-backed data group involved in this project, has identified similar discrepancies between official coverage claims and actual consumer experience in 130 counties and metropolitan boroughs.

Buffering Britain's audit, based on tests submitted through its app since its launch last month, stated that Britain's mobile connectivity is worse than that of Kazakhstan. Streetwave commented that the Dorset results underscore a significant gap between industry-provided data and the connectivity experienced by consumers. Former security minister Tom Tugendhat previously noted in The Mail on Sunday that mobile signal in London was poorer than in Kabul a decade prior, rendering phones 'useless in vast areas of Britain'.

Mobile UK, a trade body representing network operators, stated that companies are investing billions in network upgrades, but progress is slowed by bureaucratic planning processes and regulatory inaction.