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

More than four in 10 consumers 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 UK’s digital infrastructure. The poll of more than 2,000 people who use digital devices found that 45% feel frustrated with mobile connectivity outside the home at least once a week. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, that figure rises to 57%. Connectivity problems are 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, commissioned from Survation 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 from 53rd in 2024 and 51st place in 2023. The UK is ranked 44th in the world for fixed-line download speeds. Survation found that 21% of the MPs 103 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 seen 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. …