Britain's mobile networks have been ranked eighth globally in a new study by VodafoneThree's Mobile Market Index, placing the UK behind nations such as Norway, Australia, Germany and Hungary. Singapore topped the ranking, followed by South Korea and the United States.
Key Findings from the Mobile Market Index
The index, which measures mobile network connectivity quality across countries, found that the UK is being held back by several factors. These include high energy costs, an emerging retirement gap among engineers, restrictive regulation, high spectrum charges, and intense market competition. VodafoneThree warned that the country risks falling further behind as international competitors accelerate investment in mobile networks, though it acknowledged progress has been made in recent years.
VodafoneThree's Response
Andrea Dona, VodafoneThree's networks director, said: "Since the merger we have raised the bar for connectivity in the UK, eliminating thousands of not spots and providing millions of people with access to our fastest 5G speeds. But we cannot afford to lose momentum. Fast, reliable, and quality mobile networks are a fundamental driver of economic growth and prosperity."
Challenges Highlighted by the Index
The index revealed that UK operators face the second-highest energy costs and the second most planning red tape among the countries surveyed. Britain also ranked seven out of 10 for the skills pipeline required to support the rollout of more advanced networks. VodafoneThree is urging the government to support investment in mobile networks by removing regulatory and planning barriers and mitigating energy costs to bring the UK in line with other leading nations.
Investment Plan
Andrea added: "Bringing the UK’s investment environment up to the standard of our international peers could help to support public services, eliminate digital divides and enable communities to thrive." The company is investing £11 billion across its network to reach 99% 5G Standalone population coverage by 2030.
