Valuable debate around the quality of 5G signal in the City of London was sparked after findings obtained by SignalTracker were raised in a meeting of the Corporation of London.
Valuable debate around the quality of 5G signal in the City of London was sparked after findings obtained by SignalTracker were raised in a meeting of the Corporation of London.
SignalTracker’s findings that in 40% of tests, phones in London connected to 5G are actually operating on a 4G signal were put to the Corporation’s Court of Common Council on Thursday by City of London councillor Madush Gupta.
Drawing attention to SignalTracker’s findings, Mr Gupta said: “Mobile networks continue to promise us Lamborghini’s yet often deliver clapped-out old bangers. Recent independent test show that nearly 40% of the time when a phone claims to be running on 5G – it is running on 4G or less.
“This digital mirage is not merely misleading. It is commercially damaging. High-speed always available connectivity is the critical lubricant of business in our city.
“Too often residents, workers, our visitors find themselves unable to open even a Whatsapp message let alone conduct business critical functions. Each person here knows what I mean. We are paying for premium services but where is the premium performance. I would urge this matter is taken up with urgency.”
Mr Gupta called on the Lord Mayor to hold mobile network operators to account for lapses in quality and to urge them to provide the service the city “needs and deserves.”
The data that Mr Gupta refers to was revealed by SignalTracker in March as the result of testing in central London. In our tests, carried out with the SignalTracker app, 38% of 5G connections were actually 4G, something that occurs when the phone connects to a 4G base station with 5G capability it does not use.
The chairman of policy and resources for the Corporation of London, Chris Hayward, responded to Mr Gupta’s points by agreeing that people in the City of London’s square mile are “not getting 5G” when expected. He drew attention to the CitiCorporation’s deal with wireless infrastructure company Freshwave – who have deployed shareable infrastructure to improve connectivity near notable landmarks including St Paul’s and Cannon Street.
He said: “I will ask officers to write to each of the four network providers informing them of this new infrastructure that they should utilise to enhance mobile connectivity within our city,” adding that he had been informed of the challenges posed in busy areas of the city and the strain that places on existing 5G infrastructure.
Freshwave’s deployal started in October 2024 and has been picked up by EE, though it is unclear if VodafoneThree and O2 have also become involved in the project.
Councillor Jason Groves further added to the debate – adding “For those of us who represent wards which are very close to popular tourist destinations such as the Tower of London, that can pose that restrictions on the way that workers are able to access 5g particularly at very busy times of the year.
“And of course, many of those tourists then want to stay and see the the wonderful works of tower Ward as well.
“Would the chairman also agree to look at areas around sites of big tourist importance, particularly the Tower of London?”
Mr Hayward replied that he would work to improve the situation across all ward, noting that “we will try to make sure that all wards get the full benefits.”
SignalTracker has recently conducted a comparative test of London and Birmingham, finding that even with connectivity issues in the capital, Londoners remain three times as likely to get a 5G signal.
Do you work in the City of London? Download the SignalTracker app for free and get detailed information on the true quality of your connection.
