Only ‘one in four’ will benefit from 5G, warns comparison website

Research from uSwitch.com, a price comparison website for thousands of services across the UK, has warned that the roll-out of 5G internet will only benefit one in four people, and will not solve many prominent connectivity issues that plague Britons around the country.

The research found that 23 million mobile users in the UK struggled to access a reliable 4G signal on a weekly basis, and estimates that only 28 per cent of the population will be covered by 5G networks by the end of the year.

Naturally, the survey indicates that rural areas will be ignored in favour of urban centres which will be the focus of the roll-out.

The survey also revealed that only 14 per cent of mobile phone users planned to upgrade their data plan to 5G over the course of the year, whilst only 19 per cent believed the upgrade would improve their connectivity at all.

A mobile expert at uSwitch.com. Ernest Doku said: “With so many of us completely reliant on our smartphones these days for our news, work, shopping, and social media updates, there is little more frustrating than being unable to connect to phone services which we pay for.

“Ofcom reports that 66 per cent of the UK has 4G coverage from all major providers, but more than 23million people are still facing difficulties connecting to their networks.

“The arrival of the next-generation infrastructure should help with some of the problems currently experienced by 4G users, but this will not be an overnight solution, in particular as fewer than one in seven of us is planning to upgrade to 5G in the next year.”

Doku concluded that 5G should not be used to disguise and cover up the shortcomings of 4G connectivity, and urged that providers worked with communities more earnestly in order to reduce the number of stranded Britons who live without reliable access to mobile data.