![](/sites/default/files/styles/homepage_carousel_mobile/public/2023-11/design_4.png?h=cd577c89&itok=IIA-CnNx)
Mobile connectivity advice for consumers
A guide providing mobile connectivity advice for residents and business.
Mobile Connectivity advice for consumers
Mobile signal and service availability is an important utility in todays connected world - often considered to be the 4th utility. Currently there are four different generations of mobile technology: 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G, with 6G on the horizon. The table below gives approximate values for comparison.
Generation of G |
2G |
3G |
4G |
5G |
---|---|---|---|---|
Year introduced |
1990 |
2000 |
2010 |
2020 |
Switch off by (in the UK) |
2033 |
2024 |
N/A |
N/A |
Download speed - Theoretical (max) |
473.6Kbps |
42Mbps |
3Gbps |
20Gbps |
Download speed - Practical (avg) |
50Kbps |
8Mbps |
100Mbps |
300Mbps |
Upload speed - Theoretical (max) |
473.6Kbps |
11.5Mbps |
1.5Gbps |
10Gbps |
Upload speed - Practical (avg) |
50Kbps |
2Mbps |
50Mbps |
100Mbps |
Latency (end to end) |
600 MS |
120 MS |
30 MS |
<12 MS |
There are four main Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) operating in the UK, these are EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. The other operators you may be aware of (such as supermarket brands) are known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) who then have agreements with one of the main MNOs to provide you with a service.
Consumers expect uninterrupted cellular (mobile) services in homes, places of business and other venues. However, the nature of mobile communications infrastructure and the business / commercial decisions that drives its investment, planning and deployment means that this expectation is not always met by service providers.
From a regulatory perspective, the national regulator, Ofcom, imposes population or outdoor geographic coverage obligations on MNOs that requires the operators to provide mobile coverage to certain percentage of the UK landmass or population. However, the implementation processes to achieve the set targets and therefore the distribution of sites and infrastructure are left to the operators to decide, leading to areas with less economic benefits for the operators such as rural settlements more susceptible to poor mobile coverage. There are no current requirements around quality of experience and often issues can occur due to matters around network optimisation and areas of high demand.
Infrastructure sharing arrangements such as the proposed Shared Rural Network venture in the UK will significantly lower network deployment costs and are expected to serve as an impetus to improve outdoor coverage in rural settlements such as those found in parts of 51画促.
Poor or unreliable In-premises (indoor) coverage continues to be a challenge for many consumers. There are certain steps that can be taken by mobile service consumers to improve mobile coverage in homes, venues, and businesses.
Useful links
This guide can also be downloaded: