Erica McKoy: Ever seen the 5G icon pop up on your phone, only for the internet to still be a bit glitchy and slow? 5G connection is theoretically available in the area, but did you know, you may actually be using 4G?
Hello, I’m Erica McKoy and welcome to Which? Shorts – your free weekly insight into Which? magazine, as well as our Money, Tech, Travel and Gardening titles too.
Today I’m bringing you a piece that Adam Snook wrote for the July issue of the Which? magazine, all about 5G networks and how unreliable they can be.
Here’s Adam’s piece, adapted for the podcast, this week read by myself Erica McKoy
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Whether you’re checking Google Maps when lost, trying to use a taxi app in the rain, or responding to a WhatsApp message on the go, data connectivity is crucial for modern life to function.
We regularly receive anecdotal and survey evidence suggesting mobile users around the UK are struggling with poor data connections. In the past, complaints arose from rural or remote areas, but as demand has grown, issues are now seen in towns and cities too.
So what is going on with the UK’s 5G coverage?
To find out exactly what’s going on, we spoke to Opensignal. It provides independent insights into network quality and performance, and its data is based on billions of measurements of mobile users’ daily experiences, tracked through an app.
Opensignal creates a Global Network Excellence Index, ranking network performance internationally, and, for the UK, it’s not a pretty picture. Especially when you consider that it comes last among the advanced economies of the G7. It’s behind the US, Canada, Germany, France, Japan and Italy and last when combined with 23 additional EU nations. So how has this happened?
In the UK, mobile network coverage targets are based on the connection being available, rather than the quality of connection as it is used. This means the UK’s mobile network operators (or MNOs) such as EE, O2 and VodafoneThree – can claim that they have 99% UK coverage for 4G data and that they are meeting their obligations. But in reality, there are many places where you’ll struggle to get good data.
Current government targets also fall short of providing a useful coverage standard. It says there should be at least one of the major networks providing 5G in an area by 2030, so tough luck if you’re not using this provider or one of the smaller companies that ‘piggyback’ it.
Let’s break down the different types of 5G and see just how accessible it really is
There are two types of 5G network – 5G Standalone and Non-standalone 5G.
5G Standalone is an independent network providing high data speeds and low latency (that's the time delay between you doing something and your phone responding). The government aims for everyone in the UK to have access to high-quality 5G Standalone by 2030.
Non-standalone 5G relies on existing 4G infrastructure, which is easier to set up but provides less impressive data speeds.
All mobile network operators have been expanding their 5G networks around the country, so currently around 85% of the UK population has 5G Standalone coverage from at least one provider. However, the number of networks with 5G available, and the quality of data, varies widely from place to place. Also, just because coverage is available it doesn’t automatically mean it’s useful and that you’ll be able to send a message, quickly download something or watch a video without it buffering. This is why targets focused on quality are important.
Steve Cray is managing director of Cellnex UK, which builds and manages sites where mobile network operators deploy equipment. He told us how data prices are relatively low in the UK compared to elsewhere, but what we get for those prices is not as good as it could be.
‘Prices are important,’ he said. ‘But so is good value. If network quality is poor, consumers are paying less for less. On that measure, the UK does badly. Choices we make between now and 2030 will determine whether the UK leads or watches from the sidelines. This is no longer a technology question. It is an execution question.’
But is there enough money?
Part of the execution question is the investment gap, where not enough money is being invested in network infrastructure to keep up with increasing user demand.
Industry estimates suggest that hitting the 2030 goal could cost 34 billion pounds to achieve. With that being said Ofcom doesn’t have the power to force networks to invest in improvements.
The UK’s ‘big three’ (no longer the ‘big four’ since the merger of Vodafone and Three) all make big promises about future investment. VodafoneThree says that it will deliver 5G to 99% of the population by 2030; O2 claims it will invest £700m this year on new masts and other upgrades; and EE is pledging £40bn by the end of the decade on broadband and mobile, including advanced 5G networks nationwide. But the question is, will this be enough? Inspiration could be taken from other countries with better network statistics, and how they set and assess targets for mobile networks.
Across the channel, the French might be on to something...
Instead of focusing on coverage, French telecoms regulator Arcep makes networks meet minimum download speeds across all infrastructure sites, and these requirements increase over time to keep up with higher use. Bart Smallman, from independent policy research company Assembly Research, said: ‘Arcep updated its mobile coverage maps to show daily updates about unavailable masts that are damaged or under maintenance.’ He believes real-world testing can better align consumers’ experiences of mobile coverage with what’s reported by operators and regulators.
If you’ve ever tried to use your phone for long stretches during a train journey, you’ll know that coverage can be patchy. Like the UK, France wasn’t immune to these ‘not-spots’ along many train lines. However, in 2018 Arcep set rules demanding 90% coverage along 23,000 km of railways. The result was 97.7-99.3% coverage on daily train services. Elsewhere on the continent, Germany required networks to provide a minimum 100Mbps download speed along major railway lines and 50Mbps along other railway lines.
Research from analysts Streetwave found the UK average download speeds along railway lines was pitifully lower than this, ranging from 11.2Mbps with EE to 1.9Mbps on O2. Compared to the UK’s current approach, these countries demand better performance from networks while also telling customers more clearly where data will work well.
Planning problems
Enforcing quality standards won’t be enough on its own to improve data quality in the UK. Issues with planning permission can slow upgrades to the network. Residents and landowners are often resistant to masts being built near or on their properties and strict rules limit the height and width of antennas, and how many a site can have, particularly when they’re near historic buildings. All the major networks cited examples of how investment projects get held up.
Some progress has been made though, as the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 recognised mobile and broadband networks as foundational infrastructure, equivalent to transport, energy and water.
So let’s talk about solutions
Steve Cray thinks the solution lies with shared infrastructure, which would be ‘cheaper and faster to deliver, requiring fewer sites and consuming less energy’. He continued: ‘We work with all three UK mobile operators to enable them to share mobile sites. This has freed up £3.4bn for UK operators to reinvest in core services.’
Which? has also submitted its own suggestions for improvements to the government’s Mobile Market review:
- Regulation must support innovation and investment in mobile network infrastructure.
- National targets must ensure that customers on all networks can access a high-quality 5G signal.
- Requirement for mobile network operators to provide live performance data to Ofcom for tools that show coverage levels.
- ‘Good’ mobile coverage to move beyond availability and include accurate performance information, such as download and upload speeds.
- Further reform of the planning process to make network infrastructure projects easier to build, maintain and upgrade.
But in the meantime, what can you do
Building a high-quality 5G network will take a combined effort between the government, Ofcom and industry players. However, customers are not powerless and should expect good-quality service from their network. If you aren’t happy with the 5G speeds you receive, try switching networks as the quality of each provider varies dramatically in different areas. You can also raise a complaint with your network about consistently poor signal, detailing when and where it happens.
