London has slipped to 70th place in global mobile performance rankings, according to new data from Ookla, a web service that analyses internet access performance metrics. The capital now trails cities such as Prague, Hanoi and Kharkiv in the rankings of 149 world cities, down from 38th place in Q3 2022.
Performance data shows slower improvement
The latest figures from Q2 2026 show London's median download speed has improved to 96.08 Mbps from 65.42 Mbps four years ago, while median upload speed rose to 9.96 Mbps from 8.99 Mbps. However, the capital is falling behind the rate of improvement seen in other cities globally.
Mobile UK, the trade association representing the UK's major mobile networks, said London's mobile phone connectivity "continues to lag frustratingly behind other international hubs".
Bottlenecks and planning rules blamed
In June, the Standard revealed that mobile phone signal in central London is deteriorating due to "bottlenecks" on the network. A "perfect storm" of fewer antenna sites caused by housing and other developments, as well as more tall buildings being built in the capital, has resulted in poor quality service at times.
Crowded areas, such as near busy Tube and rail stations, are often most affected due to capacity shortfalls on the network. The West End, the City, Westminster, and Tower Hamlets are the parts of the capital seeing the biggest problems. Many mobile users across London report failed connections and calls not getting through.
Phone signal problems have been so bad in parts of London at times that former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said they are worse than in Kabul ten years ago.
Operators call for reform
Virgin Media O2 has recently called for urgent reform after being "forced" to switch off dozens of mobile sites across London due to new building developments. Mobile operators are issued a notice-to-quit and must remove their antennas once a new development receives planning consent, and are given 18 months to find a new site.
However, many have claimed that finding new antenna sites can take two-and-a-half years, possibly up to seven, leaving operators scrambling to find temporary sites just to maintain signal coverage.
Professor Robert Joyce, director of mobile access engineering at O2, told the Standard: "Mobile connectivity is critical to how people live and work. But in London essential equipment is being removed faster than it can be replaced with planning rules pummelling mobile coverage in the capital."
Philip Maguire, founder and CEO of network measurement service Inakalum, told the BBC: "When the areas are busy, very often the networks don't have enough capacity to deal with all the data demands from users, and that's a capacity issue not a signal problem." He added that most people would have "no chance" finding a reliable connection in the evening after leaving work despite the signal working in the early morning.
Investment and future plans
Mobile UK said that mobile operators had invested "billions of pounds to upgrade their networks across London" and were committed to working with the government and local councils to improve mobile phone service.
Gareth Elliott, director of policy and communications at Mobile UK, said: "Mobile connectivity underpins London's economic dynamism. By bringing developers, local planning authorities, and mobile operators together early, we can turn network disruption into a win-win for urban regeneration."
London mayor Sadiq Khan has laid out requirements on developers in the draft London Plan. A spokesperson for the Mayor told the Standard earlier this year: "Reliable mobile connectivity is essential to how Londoners live and work, and the Mayor is committed to improving coverage across the capital. His draft London Plan treats mobile connectivity as essential infrastructure and requires it to be considered from the outset of new developments. It also protects existing infrastructure and supports action by boroughs and operators to tackle mobile not-spots and strengthen network resilience."
A government spokesperson said: "Fast, reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to a growing economy, keeping people connected wherever they live, work or commute. That's why we are working with industry to deliver our ambition for higher-quality standalone 5G coverage across all populated areas of the UK by 2030. We recognise that demand on mobile networks is growing, particularly in busy urban areas, and are reviewing planning rules and working through our Mobile Market Review to support investment, improve network performance and make it quicker and easier to build the infrastructure consumers and businesses need."
