How well does 4G work in your area?
A new report suggests that the roll out of the new 5G service must be handled better than 4G was.
Government appointed experts said 4G only ranked at 54th in the world in terms of coverage.
Lord Andrew Adonis, led the investigation and heads the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), told the BBC’s Today programme: “The government has been putting more investment and obligation requirements on the mobile operators but we think that needs to be taken further,”
“We particularly think there is a big problem with our road and rail networks. Up to 25% of the time it is not possible to get a decent signal.”
Ofcom welcomed the report, however it indicated that the low ranking of the 4G network might not be reliable.
The regulators targets are based on the percentage of coverage across UK properties, rather than signal across the UK.
The NICs figure was based on data gathered by volunteers through an app which measured the amount of time each user had accessing the 4G network whilst travelling.
A spokesman for the communications regulator said: “We agree that mobile coverage must improve, so we’re pleased the NIC shares our ambition for universal coverage,”
“Our rules mean that virtually all UK premises must receive a 4G signal by the end of next year, and we’re also making more airwaves available to boost mobile broadband.”
The 5G standard does not exist yet but it is expected to surpass 4G sometime after 2020.
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