The UK has been ranked last among 15 developing and advanced international markets for 5G connectivity, both availability and download speeds, according to a new report. The briefing paper, ‘Growing Connections’, produced by the cross-party think tank Social Market Foundation (SMF), revealed that UK users experience 5G coverage only 10% of the time, significantly trailing behind other economies.
The SMF’s findings come as the Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, Chris Bryant, has pledged to improve the UK’s digital infrastructure as a key driver of economic growth, in a speech at Connected Britain 2024. However, the report highlights that this is not the first time the UK government has committed to improving 5G connectivity. In 2023, the previous administration launched the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, aiming for nationwide standalone 5G coverage across all populated areas by 2030. Yet, the reality is falling short of these political aspirations.
The SMF developed a ‘composite connectivity’ league table, which assesses both 5G availability and download speeds. This ranking placed the UK at the bottom among 15 countries. The report found that the UK lags behind several advanced and emerging markets in terms of 5G availability, measured by the percentage of time users have an active 5G connection. Countries such as India (43%) and South Korea (38%) lead globally, while the UK is also behind European nations like France (20.6%) and Italy (17.9%).
The root of the UK’s poor 5G connectivity lies in insufficient investment in next-generation technology and telecommunications infrastructure. The report, based on interviews with experts in digital infrastructure, argues that barriers to investment include complex planning laws that delay or obstruct the installation of masts, uncertainty about consumer demand, and the structure of the telecommunications market. Additionally, political reforms have unintentionally discouraged investment, with changes to spectrum management and cost-cutting measures for infrastructure leading to high levels of litigation and making landowners reluctant to lease land for mobile networks.
“It is concerning that the UK is at the rock bottom among several emerging and developed economies on 5G connectivity. Until it changes, this will continue to be a significant hinderance to the government’s growth agenda, by denying us major productivity increases, which widespread 5G can help deliver,” said Richard Hyde, Senior Researcher, SMF. “It is reassuring that the government has recognised the importance of infrastructure to growth, but there are a range of obstacles that will need to be addressed to ensure 5G mobile can play its role in contributing to growth.
“While this paper has set out the poor state of affairs, we will be providing a comprehensive set of solutions in a forthcoming report towards the end of the year.”
“There is near-universal agreement that dramatically improving 5G connectivity is essential in order to safeguard the UK’s global competitiveness and drive economic growth,” added Thomas Evans, Executive Vice President of APWireless. “This research asks important and timely questions about why the UK languishes at the bottom of the global league table for 5G connectivity. We believe the government should look closely at the SMF’s initial research as it seeks to meet its objective of attaining the fastest economic growth in the G7.
“By considering these issues in the round the government has an opportunity to secure vast economic and social benefits across the country.”
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