4G signal in cities: The best of the best and the down right terrible

The survey was carried out this year by Consumer group Which? and analyst OpenSignal. They measured data from mobile phones across 20 cities in the UK to see which come up best and which will give a better signal if you used a cup and string!

The winning city was Middlesbrough. They have been voted the best place in the UK to get mobile 4G coverage. Who is the worst you ask? Well, this award goes to Bournemouth along the south cost.

Ofcom are leading a campaign with new regulations that say that "virtually all" UK premises would have to receive a 4G signal by the end of the year.

The OpenSignal study analysed more than 500m data readings from mobile phones taken from more than 30,000 users between December 1, 2016 and February 28 via an app.

It ranked 20 of the biggest towns and cities from top to bottom based on their 4G availability. Here is the breakdown of these results;

Top 5 cities

Middlesbrough/Teesside - 82.7%
Sheffield - 79.3%
Sunderland - 79%
Leicester - 78.6%
Leeds/West Yorkshire - 78.2%

Bottom 5 cities

Bournemouth/Poole - 67.5%
Southampton/Portsmouth - 69.6%
Cardiff - 71.8%
Nottingham - 73.3%
London - 73.6%

Having a great 4G signal is not everything though. The study also looked at the actual 4G download speeds, as these can drastically vary between cities. The results showed that Stoke-on-Trent had the fastest download speeds with Brighton being slowest.

Which? says big cities often suffer from sub-par mobile networks because it is more difficult to build towers and masts in built-up urban areas. This is the long-term battle between the people that want better services and the idiots that don’t want any development near them. The old N.I.M.B.Y dilemma. Not in my back yard!

The findings of the study will be of particular concern to businesses which see good mobile connectivity as vital to a competitive economy, reported from a BBC representative.

This is why we should forget about the development of 5G. Until we perfect our current generation in technology, there is no point bringing a new player to the table.

Which? is calling on the next government to work with Ofcom and mobile providers to ensure "critical reforms" are made to ensure a better performance and service for customers.