Mobile phone 5G and 4G signal shows Bradford one of worst

The research, conducted by Affordable Mobiles, shows Bradford is the joint second worst location for getting signal in Yorkshire and the Humber and the joint third worst city across the UK.

The locations examined in the study were judged on a number of different metrics.

This included the city or area's overall 4G/5G signal rating, as well as the signal on several best-selling handsets, including the iPhone 12 and Samsung Galaxy S21.

Data was gathered from two of the nation's leading network providers with each metric scoring on a scale of 1-5 based on signal rating and final scores calculated by taking the average for each location.  

Bradford was handed a 1 for its 5G signal rating, despite a number of the new masts being installed across the city in the past year or so.

Its 4G signal rating was a 5, giving an overall signal rating of 2.4.

This is worse than a number of more remote locations - which were ranked in a separate table as part of study's assessment of popular staycation destinations - such as Loch Ness (2.5) the Isle of Skye (2.5) and the Yorkshire Dales (2.5).

Wakefield was ranked as the worst place in Yorkshire and the Humber and joint worst in the UK for getting phone signal, with an overall rating of 1.

A map of the overall signal rating for different cities across the UK. Pic: Affordable Mobiles

Derby, Southampton and Bristol also came out with that score, followed by Stoke and Portsmouth (both 1.8) and then Hull and Bradford (2.4).

The best cities for phone signal in Yorkshire and the Humber are Leeds and York (3.4).

The research into the most popular staycation destinations found that it was the larger cities coming out on top, with York and Bath both scoring 4 out of 5 for coverage. 

Seven coverage blackspots (places with no coverage) were also mapped out, consisting of Stonybreck, Foula, Isle of Canna (all located in the Shetland Islands), Rosedale Abbey in North Yorkshire, Alwinton in Northumberland, the Isle of Man and Scottish Border town Ettrick.

Jessica Canning, Mobile expert at Affordable Mobiles, said: “It is really interesting to see first-hand the differences in the UK’s coverage from place to place.

"The study has unveiled some surprising results.  

“Bristol is a good example of a surprising result as I think we would all expect a city of its size to have better mobile coverage.

"However, we would expect this score to improve in the coming months as 5G continues to be improved and rolled out around the UK. 

“Looking at the more rural staycation destinations, it is a pleasant surprise that most have good coverage levels and shows how the UK has improved its coverage levels across the board in the last few years.

“If we looked at the same data 10 years ago, it would be a major shock if Loch Lomond or the Isle of Skye had any coverage at all, whereas it is now clear to see the investment is paying off and soon there will be very few places in Britain where you won’t be able to get any signal.”