UK RANKS EIGHTH IN GLOBAL MOBILE NETWORK QUALITY STUDY

The United Kingdom ranks eighth in global mobile network connectivity, according to research published by VodafoneThree. Singapore achieved the highest ranking, followed by South Korea and the USA. Norway, Australia, Germany and Hungary all ranked ahead of the UK in the VodafoneThree Mobile Market Index. The company identified five factors constraining British network performance: high energy costs, an emerging retirement gap among engineers, restrictive regulation, high spectrum charges, and intense market competition.

VodafoneThree reported that UK operators face the second-highest energy costs globally and the second-most demanding planning regulation. Britain ranked seven out of ten for the skills pipeline required to support deployment of advanced networks. The company stated that progress has been made in recent years, with thousands of not spots eliminated and millions of people provided access to faster 5G speeds since its merger. Andrea Dona, VodafoneThree's networks director, warned that the UK risks falling further behind as international competitors accelerate investment in mobile infrastructure.

VodafoneThree called on the government to remove regulatory and planning barriers and mitigate energy costs to bring the UK's investment environment into line with leading nations. The company stated this approach could support public services, reduce digital divides and benefit communities. VodafoneThree is investing £11 billion across its own network to reach 99 per cent 5G Standalone population coverage by 2030. The company framed faster, more reliable mobile networks as fundamental to economic growth and prosperity.