A study from UK comms regulator Ofcom is calling for mobile companies, local authorities and other key nationwide stakeholder effort to improve the quality and reliability of mobile service across train services after its tests showed that mobile networks typically offer a poor-quality service to passengers.
Ofcom’s mobile quality study measured mobile performance across 24 segments of key railway lines covering England, Scotland and Wales, in its most comprehensive dedicated study available on the subject to date.
The research was carried out by Streetwave. A separate study, covering a tram line in Greater Manchester, was done by Opensignal and Streetwave. Ofcom also published qualitative research by Jigsaw.
The results reflected the reality for passengers on lines up and down the country, showing that travelling via train means can mean going off grid for too many people.
The study looked at how often a phone could achieve good performance, defined as minimum download speeds of 5 Mbps per second, upload speeds of at least 1.5 Mbps per second and a response time of 50 milliseconds or less. These capabilities would typically let people make video calls, stream content or scroll social media.
Specifically, the research found that operator EE met those standards on 42% of the segments of railway lines that were measured, Three on 21%, O2 on 20% and Vodafone on 17%.
Onboard Wi-Fi provided by train companies was also measured and performed well just 1% of the time. This was largely due to outdated technology delivering the service, as well as speed caps.
In essence, Ofcom said the research highlighted the core problem that mobile signal from masts on the ground often isn’t strong enough around train lines and that some carriage types are difficult for signals to pass through.
Specifically regarding mobile signal on trains, Ofcom observed that competition between mobile networks alone won’t be enough to improve connectivity. As well as providing technical advice to Government to help inform its approach, Ofcom said it would also look at whether more spectrum – the airwaves all wireless technology relies on – was required.
As it released its mobile connectivity, Ofcom also published a report, Connectivity you can count on, looking at overhauling the quality of mobile service in UK wherever people live, work or travel.
It looked to build on the merger of Vodafone and Three, which has an important role in driving better outcomes, identifies areas for improvement and calls for mobile companies, local authorities, big developers, government and others to take coordinated action.
The report highlighted that even though the UK’s mobile networks have invested £10bn since 2020 in infrastructure, and that the prices paid by an average user basket of mobile services have fallen by 20% in real terms, despite average data use more than doubling, the reliability and smoothness of people’s experiences still isn’t consistent or good enough.
Ofcom warned that the public are justifiably concerned about whether there is acceptable coverage from their provider along with how well it works and how often. It added that tackling this issue demands a national effort in which the mobile industry, local authorities, government, building developers, major landlords and itself all have a role to play.
Ofcom said that it was also proposing to update the way it measured how mobile networks are doing, using crowdsourced data to reveal whether they delivered a good performance at least 90% of the time. This was defined as download speeds of at least 5 Mbps, upload speeds of at least 1.5 Mbps, and latency of no more than 50 milliseconds (ms).
A key area of investigation for Ofcom will be investment from mobile companies. The regulator noted that Vodafone-Three has made a legally binding £11bn investment commitment to 5G infrastructure and that it would monitor delivery and enforce compliance alongside the UK’s competition and markets authority (CMA) which holds the formal undertakings. Ofcom expected other networks to respond with their own investment, and it believes that operators’ collective action will be a key driver of improvements.
Ofcom’s Group director for infrastructure and connectivity Natalie Black said: “People rightly expect connectivity they can count on – and delivering it will require a joined‑up national effort. We 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.”
