{"id":46753,"date":"2026-06-03T10:14:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=46753"},"modified":"2026-06-03T11:59:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T10:59:41","slug":"ofcom-study-finds-mobile-networks-on-uk-trains-offer-poor-quality-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/ofcom-study-finds-mobile-networks-on-uk-trains-offer-poor-quality-service.html","title":{"rendered":"Ofcom Study Finds Mobile Networks on UK Trains Offer Poor Quality UPDATE"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom<\/a>, has today published a new study that measured mobile (4G<\/a> \/ 5G<\/a>) network performance across 24 segments of key railway lines covering England, Scotland and Wales. The results found that performance was poor on between 58% and 83% of tests carried out on trains, depending on mobile operator.<\/p>\n

Regular readers will already know that quite a few of Britain\u2019s train services still suffer from patchy mobile connectivity, which is often also used to help fuel onboard Wi-Fi services. Back in 2017 the previous Government did set out an ambition to make \u201cuninterrupted<\/em>\u201d Wi-Fi and 5G<\/a> Mobile broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps (Gigabits per second) available on-board all UK mainline train routes by 2025, but that was never achieved.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The Government\u2019s new 10 Year Industrial Strategy<\/strong><\/a> has already pledged \u00a341m to help introduce Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband satellite<\/a> connectivity \u201con all mainline trains<\/em>\u201d in order to tackle the issue of poor onboard connectivity. Meanwhile, Project Reach<\/strong><\/a> is separately working to deploy \u201cultra fast fibre optic cable<\/em>\u201d across 1,000km of major rail lines to help \u201celiminate mobile signal blackspots<\/em>\u201d in tunnels on \u201ckey rail routes<\/em>\u201d.<\/div>\n

Ofcom<\/a>’s new study<\/strong><\/a> – conducted using real-world testing from Streetwave<\/a> – underlines today’s issues by looking at how often a mobile phone could achieve “good performance<\/em>” – defined as minimum download speeds of 5Mbps, upload speeds of at least 1.5Mbps, and a response time (latency) of 50 milliseconds (ms) or less, which they said “would typically let people make video calls, stream content or scroll social media<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

The research found that EE<\/a> (BT<\/a>) met those standards on 42% of the segments of railway lines that were measured, which dropped to 21% on Three UK<\/a>, 20% via O2<\/a> (Virgin Media<\/a>) and Vodafone<\/a> came last with just 17%. On-board Wi-Fi provided by train companies was also measured, but it only “performed well<\/em>” 1% of the time. “This was largely due to outdated technology delivering the service, as well as speed caps<\/em>,” said Ofcom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All of this is despite the fact that, since 2020, mobile network operators (MNOs) are said to have invested around \u00a310bn into their networks. At the same time, the prices paid by an average user are estimated to have fallen by 20% in real terms, although this will vary between individuals (i.e. those who switch around to better deals are more likely to see such a benefit).<\/p>\n

Ofcom\u2019s Group Director for Infrastructure and Connectivity, Natalie Black, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople rightly expect connectivity they can count on \u2014 and delivering it will require a joined\u2011up national effort.<\/p>\n

We are determined to play our part and will work closely with industry, government, local authorities and others to break down barriers standing in the way of progress, so we can enable economic growth, make everyday life more seamless, and ensure people get more out of the service they pay for.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ofcom has also today published a new discussion paper – Connectivity You Can Count On<\/strong><\/a>, which more broadly debates the topic of overhauling the quality of UK mobile network services wherever people live, work or travel. The paper is said to “form the basis of our engagement on these issues with stakeholders<\/em>” and to support improvements in mobile connectivity.<\/p>\n

The regulator, which is seeking written responses to the paper by 29th July 2026, intends to provide an update on this work in early 2027<\/strong> – not least by setting out “what we have learned and how it will shape our priorities and next steps<\/em>“. Aside from the schemes mentioned earlier, Ofcom has also highlighted several other developments that may help:<\/p>\n

Key Areas of Improvement (Ofcom)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n