Petroc Taylor
Research expert covering global developments in the use of data
Mobile telecoms in the United Kingdom - statistics & facts
Mobile telecoms networks provide a vital service for consumers and businesses across the United Kingdom (UK). The total number of mobile connections in the UK surpassed the 84 million mark in 2023, with mobile technology in use by around 97 percent of the UK’s 68 million inhabitants. The mobile industry in the UK is competitive, as several major network operators look to carve a share of a multi-billion British pound industry. Mobile data has emerged as the core focus of the mobile sector, with UK network operators such as Vodafone and EE seeking to attract customers with the quality and reach of their 5G services.
Operators and industry leaders have stressed that bringing 5G access across the UK will be vital if the country is to make the most of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). The government is therefore under pressure to approve a landmark merger between Vodafone and Three, with the operators claiming that the deal would broaden 5G access.
Consumer spending falls
Mobile retail revenues in the UK increased by around 800 million British pounds in 2023 to almost 14 billion pounds. Despite this, the figure remains short of the 18.3 billion British pounds generated in 2012, with UK consumers reducing their spending on mobile services. Average monthly household spending on mobile voice and data services fell below 40 British pounds in 2023, down from over 60 pounds as recently as 2017, and around four pounds less than the average spend on fixed services. The average revenue per user (ARPU) for post-paid users has followed a similar trend, increasing slightly to almost 16 British pounds per month in 2023, but remaining far lower than a decade prior.UK mobile data use explodes
Mobile data traffic has skyrocketed from nine million gigabytes of data transferred across mobile networks per month in 2011 to more than 900 million gigabytes per month in 2023. This rapid increase is part of a broader shift in how UK users consume mobile services and reflects the adoption of data intensive activities on the go. While data use has increased, the number of SMS and MMS messages sent in the UK has plummeted, with services such as WhatsApp and iMessage largely replacing traditional mobile messaging.The majority of mobile connections are set to use 5G technology by 2030
The increased consumption of mobile data in the UK has been accelerated by the wider availability of 5G services, which offer vastly superior data transfer speeds compared to 4G technology. 5G mobile network technology, which was first rolled out in the UK in 2019, was in use by around 17 percent of all UK connections by 2022, with forecasts expecting this figure to increase to over 90 percent by the end of the decade.Operators and industry leaders have stressed that bringing 5G access across the UK will be vital if the country is to make the most of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). The government is therefore under pressure to approve a landmark merger between Vodafone and Three, with the operators claiming that the deal would broaden 5G access.
