# UK mobile speeds trail Kazakhstan as traffic surges and coverage falters

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/britains-struggling-mobile-network-has-sunk-to-53th-in-world-rankings-as-it-lags-behind-even-kazakhstan/
- Published: 2026-11-15T00:02:47+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T00:19:11+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16293337/Britains-struggling-mobile-network-sunk-53th-world-rankings-lags-Kazakhstan.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Elections, Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- UK mobile speeds rank 53rd worldwide, according to a campaign group.
- Traffic has risen 500 per cent since 2018.
- The group says planning rules are limiting new transmitters.

## Summary

A report by campaign group Buffering Britain says the UK’s mobile network is struggling to keep pace with rising demand, ranking 53rd worldwide for download speeds. It calls for more transmitters on lamp posts and public building roofs, arguing that planning restrictions are holding back improvements.

The group says mobile traffic has risen by 500 per cent since 2018, while two in five users cannot play video clips and one in five struggles to make calls. It estimates poor signal costs users up to £785 million a year in lost work and other value, and says UK download speeds lag behind Kazakhstan, Brazil and Kenya.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.