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A new study from SignalTracker, which operates a popular Android mobile app (but not iOS) for monitoring and examining mobile phone reception, has compared the quality of Vodafone’s 5G between Birmingham and London to find that the former is falling considerably behind. Furthermore, 72% of tests on Vodafone’s flagship 5G plan were actually 4G quality.
Take note that the majority of 5G mobile networks today are still Non-Standalone (NSA), which means they’re partly reliant upon older and slower 4G infrastructure. But SA networks are pure end-to-end 5G that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better speeds (particularly uploads), network slicing, improved support for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, support for Voice over New Radio (VoNR or Vo5G) and increased reliability and security etc.
SignalTracker claims to have performed thousands of tests in London and Birmingham, which found that one of the key selling points of Vodafone’s latest network – 5G Standalone (5G SA) technology – was only available in 27% of London tests and a mere 9% of Birmingham tests.
In London, the best signal was also found primarily in central locations like Westminster, Lambeth, Soho and Waterloo, while outer regions such as Barking, Bromley and Kingston suffered worse signal. This remained superior to Birmingham, which found that 5G SA coverage was largely limited to the city centre and the Bullring centre. A 6-minute walk into nearby Digbeth saw signal quality fall back to 4G.
Furthermore, in Birmingham, some 90% of tests on 5G SA were in fact 4G and, when the 5G icon was showing, 82% of the time it was actually 4G. This is due to a quirk of smartphones which the SignalTracker app highlights, where the device shows a 5G symbol but in reality, is connected to 4G. The 5G icon displays because the base station has 5G capabilities, even though they are not being used by the connected device. When consumers saw the 5G icon in London, 57% of the time it was actually connected via 4G.
PolicyTracker’s Managing Director, Martin Sims, said:
“This can lead to confusion for customers. Particularly in Birmingham, [where] many will wonder why a premier service isn’t delivering the promised 5G standalone more frequently. In both cities, on Vodafone’s ‘ultrafast’ 5G standalone service, the majority of our tests came back as 4G. It is a disappointing reminder of how far the UK’s 5G rollout has to go.”