Overview
- VodafoneThree published its Mobile Market Index on Thursday and ranked the UK about eighth out of ten countries for mobile connectivity, placing it behind nations such as Singapore, South Korea, the US, Norway, Australia and Germany.
- The company attributes the weak ranking to high energy costs, planning red tape, expensive property and spectrum charges, and regulatory limits on technologies like network slicing that reduce operators’ ability to invest and monetise networks.
- VodafoneThree says merger-related upgrades have improved coverage but warns the operating pressures limit download speeds, 5G coverage and connection quality compared with peer markets.
- The operator has pledged about £11 billion of further investment and set a target of 99% 5G standalone population coverage by 2030 while calling on the government to modernise planning, treat mobile operators as critical infrastructure for energy support, and ease regulatory barriers.
- The government’s active Mobile Market Review offers a policy window for those demands and, if unchanged, VodafoneThree says the pressures could slow digital public services, weaken network resilience and worsen local connectivity for users and businesses.