Four in 10 struggle to access mobile signal on the move in the UK

More than four in 10 people in the UK struggle to access 4G or 5G on their mobile devices for at least half the time they are on the move, according to a survey that highlights the poor state of the country’s digital infrastructure.The poll of more than 2,000 users of digital devices found that 45% felt frustrated with mobile connectivity outside the home at least once a week. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, that figure rose to 57%.Connectivity problems were less common at home, but more than a quarter (27%) of respondents were frustrated with their wifi connection at least once a week.The study, which was commissioned from YouGov by the property consultancy Cluttons, comes after a steep decline in the UK’s position in a global league table of mobile download speeds.Last year, the UK slipped to 59th place for mobile download speeds, down from 53rd in 2024 and 51st place in 2023.The UK is ranked 44th in the world for fixed-line download speeds.YouGov found that 21% of the 103 MPs it polled were contacted at least once a week by residents struggling with slow or variable broadband connections.Successive governments have urged telecoms providers to accelerate the rollout of superfast broadband and mobile connectivity, and some elements of the network measure up to the coverage in other European countries.The proportion of premises that can access full-fibre and gigabit-capable broadband has reached 86% in the UK, which compares well with 80% in Germany and 73% in Italy. France also has 86% coverage, while Spain has 100%.Critics argue that the digital network in the UK has largely been rolled out in areas that are easier to access and therefore more profitable.Some city-centre broadband speeds are among the slowest in the UK because of the congestion of utilities, while in rural areas the longer distances between homes carries an extra installation cost.“Digital connectivity is fundamental to the UK’s economic growth, acting as the backbone of a modern, productive economy,” said Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat MP who chairs of the digital communities all-party parliamentary group.She said poor connectivity constrained productivity and competitiveness, adding: “This is particularly serious in rural areas, where businesses report lost income, operational delays and reduced efficiency. The rollout of digital infrastructure is therefore critical. Investment in full fibre and mobile networks is not just about faster speeds but enabling wider economic transformation.”Cluttons said the findings, where were based on ISPreview UK’s analysis of Ookla data, exposed “a troubling gap between the UK’s ambitions and delivery”.Economic modelling based on the survey data by Assembly Research found that increasing mobile coverage along railways to 80% from the current 50% average could unlock nearly £3bn in productivity gains over the next decade, adding more than 66m hours of passenger productivity by 2035.Last week, the government announced that technology would be rolled out on more than 1,400 trains across the UK, allowing them to connect to low-earth satellites, which ministers have said would provide faster and more reliable service than the mobile networks currently powering onboard wifi.