Why The UK Phone Signal Is So Poor

Reference: Found here

Most mobile networks boast they cover 99% of the UK, but 17% of users have experienced problems with their connection, according to the latest Which? mobile network satisfaction survey. Complaints included network dropouts, recurrent outages and consistently bad phone signals.

While problems in rural communities are expected ⁘ the last UK Government even published a briefing paper on the subject ⁘ few people anticipate they will have to search for the magic four or five signal bars on their phone in a major urban area. However, many city-based users say they also have problems and, reported Yahoo! News , analytics company MedUX found that London had the worst 5G speed performance of all Europe's main cities, for both uploads and downloads.

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The problem, as Andy Aitken of mobile network provider Honest told the i news site, is a lack of investment. "We're not upgrading our telecom infrastructure to keep up with more devices and users", he said. In addition, the UK's planning system made it difficult to put up the giant telephone masts needed for better mobile coverage.

Even when planning is given, there are still problems, according to the London Evening Standard , which said the former Conservative government's ban on Chinese telecom manufacturer Huawei in 2020 put back the UK's roll-out of 5G phone masts by two to three years. This causes problems because most phones are "automatically programmed" to use 5G, even if there is a stronger 4G signal, said The Spectator 's Kristina Murkett.

But the issue is not only troublesome phone calls. The lack of connectivity also hit the UK's productivity rate, "which has been a major cause of wage stagnation and chronic under-investment". Commuters in Japan can expect "seamless" 4G on their trains when travelling in tunnels between islands. In contrast, the Thameslink service between London and Brighton "doesn't even offer tables or plug sockets".