{"id":41188,"date":"2025-03-15T00:01:13","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T00:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=41188"},"modified":"2025-03-17T06:56:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T06:56:19","slug":"mobile-coverage-in-worcestershire-uk-is-1000x-worse-than-ofcom-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/03\/mobile-coverage-in-worcestershire-uk-is-1000x-worse-than-ofcom-suggests.html","title":{"rendered":"Mobile Coverage in Worcestershire UK is 1000x Worse Than Ofcom Suggests UPDATE"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Worcestershire County Council (WCC) in England has revealed the results of a recent study they conducted with Streetwave<\/a>, which harnessed local bin lorries to map the coverage and performance of 4G<\/a> and 5G<\/a> mobile (broadband) networks across the county. Overall, it claims to have found that mobile coverage is “over 1,000 times worse than Ofcom<\/a> and mobile operator data suggests<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

Just to recap. Streetwave has spent the past two years or so harnessing refuse collection trucks to map mobile network coverage and speeds across various parts of the UK (e.g. here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a> and here<\/a>). In this setup, refuse trucks are installed with several off-the-shelf Smartphones using special software (pictured), which run continuous network tests – once every 20 metres in rural areas and 5m in urban areas – as the vehicles go around their routes.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> Throughput speed (consumer experience), signal strength, network generation and frequency band information are collected across all four of the main UK mobile operators \u2013 EE<\/a>, Three UK<\/a>, Vodafone<\/a> and O2<\/a>.<\/div>\n

The street-level data they collect is then used by local authorities to help identify areas that may require additional intervention in order to improve local mobile coverage and or network capacity. This is often much more accurate than the estimates of network coverage and performance put out by the operators themselves. In addition, members of the public have also been given access to some of this data via address-based coverage checkers and interactive maps.<\/p>\n

The latest study was conducted as part of a much wider survey, which stretches across the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (here<\/a>). But today we’re specifically focusing upon the results for Worcestershire within that programme (see the new Worcestershire Map<\/a><\/strong>).<\/p>\n

According to the WCC, the results are said to show that mobile network coverage in the county is “over 1,000 times worse than Ofcom<\/a> and mobile operator data suggests<\/em>“. Official Ofcom<\/a> data claims that only 0.01% of Worcestershire postcodes lack access to a usable mobile signal. However, real-world measurements from the survey found that 10.03% of postcodes “have no usable signal – a striking discrepancy<\/em>“, said the council.<\/p>\n

Councillor Adam Kent, WCC Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The data speaks for itself. Worcestershire residents and businesses are facing unacceptable levels of mobile signal failure. Ofcom and the operator\u2019s modelled data paints an overly optimistic picture that simply does not reflect the reality on the ground. This real-world data and evidence can now help drive meaningful change, and this research is a crucial first step toward holding providers and regulators to account.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

George Gibson, Co-founder of Streetwave, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Our findings highlight the significant gap between modelled data and actual user experience. People deserve to know the truth about their mobile coverage, and this research gives us the evidence to push for real improvements. Accurate data is key to driving change and ensuring that everyone, especially those in rural areas, has reliable mobile connectivity.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The council further claims that the switch-off of 3G<\/a> networks has “worsened the situation<\/em>“, particularly in rural areas where “3G<\/a> provided better coverage over long distances<\/em>“. Many older mobile devices have also become obsolete, forcing users to upgrade, but poor 4G<\/a> and 5G<\/a> signal strength “means even new devices struggle to connect reliably<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

The WCC also suggested that this is “having a major economic impact<\/em>“, with the county “losing an estimated \u00a3226 million per year<\/em>” due to lost productivity and communication failures. But we always advise taking such economic estimates with a big pinch of salt, as such things are notoriously difficult to model with any real accuracy.<\/p>\n

The full extent of the problem, including much more data, was covered in a presentation yesterday, which can be watched below.<\/p>\n