(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/italianestro)
British mobile users enjoy the fastest average mobile data speeds in Europe when they have adequate coverage, but significant gaps remain across the country.
A new report from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) warns the UK falls behind several nations — including Albania, Romania and Peru — when measured for landmass 4G coverage. The NIC ranked Britain 54th in the world for 4G coverage and highlighted that “digital deserts and partial not-spots” persist, even in many urban areas.
Lord Andrew Adonis, who led the review, called coverage along motorways and rail lines “frankly appalling.” He said: “Our 4G network is worse than Romania and Albania, Panama and Peru. Our roads and railways can feel like digital deserts and even our city centers are plagued by not-spots where connectivity is impossible. That isn’t just frustrating, it is increasingly holding British business back as more and more of our economy requires a connected workforce.”
Adonis urges Highways England and Network Rail to take direct responsibility for ensuring that travellers on the UK’s roads and railways have reliable mobile coverage. The report estimates that up to 25 percent of the time, it is not possible to get a dependable signal on these routes.
Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, welcomed the NIC’s findings but raised concerns about the methodology used to rank countries by landmass coverage. Ofcom’s approach focuses on the percentage of premises that can access a mobile signal and it has set requirements for operators to ensure nearly all UK properties can receive a 4G signal by the end of the next year.
Lord Adonis acknowledged that the OpenSignal data used in the study is imperfect, but said it is the best available source, drawing on 15 million users worldwide and 60 million measurements within the UK.
There is some positive news for UK consumers: the latest Akamai “State of the Internet” report shows the United Kingdom leads Europe in average mobile data speeds, at 23.7 Mbps. Regional leaders identified by Akamai include:
Fastest Countries for Mobile Data by Region
• Americas: Canada, 8.9 Mbps
• Asia Pacific: Australia, 12.8 Mbps
• Europe: United Kingdom, 23.7 Mbps
• Middle East/Africa: United Arab Emirates, 13.3 Mbps
While speed will be a key focus as next-generation technologies are deployed, the NIC stresses that broad, reliable coverage must be the priority. The commission predicts the rollout will require tens of thousands of small cells with shorter range but denser distribution to provide blanket coverage across populated areas and transport routes.
Achieving that vision will demand significant investment. The report calls on the government to put in place the necessary infrastructure and policies to support a comprehensive rollout, with preparations recommended ahead of major deployments around 2020.
What are your thoughts on the state of UK mobile infrastructure? Let us know in the comments.