As the UK prepares for 5G rollout, a large portion of the country’s roads still experience poor or non-existent mobile coverage. A study by the RAC Foundation reveals that more than 49,000 miles of road have inadequate signal, with over 5,500 miles—roughly two percent of the road network—receiving no mobile signal from any of the four national operators.
The absence of mobile voice or data coverage ranges from inconvenient to dangerous. At the least, drivers may lose navigation or entertainment services; at worst, they could be unable to call for help following a breakdown or an accident.
The study highlights local authorities with the largest stretches of road lacking voice coverage:
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Highland: 910 miles with no voice coverage
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Powys: 411 miles
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Argyll & Bute: 388 miles
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Cumbria: 296 miles
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Dumfries & Galloway: 266 miles
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North Yorkshire: 219 miles
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Gwynedd: 213 miles
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Na h-Eileanan Siar: 207 miles
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Scottish Borders: 192 miles
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Devon: 190 miles
In total, 90 local authorities have at least one road section with no available voice signal. Steve Gooding, Director of the RAC Foundation, commented on the findings:
“The good news is that mobile coverage has improved a great deal across our road network. On our motorways, which carry around a fifth of all traffic, every mile should now have voice and basic data coverage plus a 4G signal for all but a couple of miles.
As rapidly as the technology has advanced, so too have our expectations of enjoying uninterrupted connectivity.
Hopes are high that autonomous and connected vehicles will make our roads safer and help cut congestion, but that is dependent on those vehicles being able to communicate with each other and the infrastructure around them. This analysis shows that there is still work to be done to make constant and comprehensive coverage a reality.”
Beyond areas with no signal, the study found an additional 44,368 miles of road with only partial voice coverage—meaning not all operators provide usable service across those stretches. That accounts for about 18 percent of UK roads.
Data coverage also remains inconsistent. Some 66,619 miles of road can only receive 3G from certain operators, and overall 4G service extends to just 51 percent of roads. These gaps underline the significant work remaining before nationwide, reliable connectivity is achieved.
With 5G deployment underway and ambitions to lead in next-generation mobile technology, these findings serve as a stark reminder that current infrastructure has notable shortcomings despite steady improvements in recent years. Ensuring consistent voice and data coverage across the entire road network will be critical—both for everyday convenience and for enabling future innovations such as connected and autonomous vehicles.
What are your thoughts on the findings? Let us know in the comments.
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