Broken down drivers could be left stranded as road network suffers lack of phone signal

Thousands of miles of UK roads are blackout zones for phone signal and internet connection

Broken down drivers could be left stranded as road network suffers lack of phone signal
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Motorists are unable to make a phone call if they break down on more than 5,500 miles of UK roads, new research by the RAC Foundation has revealed.

The findings, which are based on Ofcom data, suggests that the worst affected area is Highland in Scotland, which has a total of 910 miles of roads with no phone signal.

In addition to over 5,000 miles of road not having any coverage, a further 44,368 miles only have partial voice coverage.

Not all operators will provide signal and coverage on almost a fifth of roads in Britain.

Top ten areas affected most by lack of phone coverage

  1. Highland (910 miles)
  2. Powys (411 miles)
  3. Argyll & Bute (388 miles)
  4. Cumbria (296 miles)
  5. Dumfries & Galloway (266 miles)
  6. North Yorkshire (219 miles)
  7. Gwynedd (213 miles)
  8. Na h-Eileanan Siar (207 miles)
  9. Scottish Borders (192 miles)
  10. Devon (190 miles)

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “The good news is that mobile coverage has improved a great deal across our road network.

“On our motorways, which carry around a fifth of all traffic, every mile should now have voice and basic data coverage plus a 4G signal for all but a couple of miles.

“As rapidly as the technology has advanced, so too have our expectations of enjoying uninterrupted connectivity.

“Hopes are high that autonomous and connected vehicles will make our roads safer and help cut congestion, but that is dependent on those vehicles being able to communicate with each other and the infrastructure around them.

“This analysis shows that there is still work to be done to make constant and comprehensive coverage a reality.”

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