Mobile signal reception not good enough on trains
According to mobile communications provider Cobham Wireless, about 52% of UK rail commuters are unable to work at times during their trips because of poor mobile reception.
Cobham Wireless analysed the results of a survey conducted by YouGov on 5th and 6th July of 2,038 adults. YouGov polled the opinions of commuters on trains throughout the UK, with about 50% of their trips taking more than 30 minutes.
A third of the commuters rated their mobile reception strong enough to allow them to connect to the Internet, while 24% rated their coverage as poor.
Slightly more than half of the respondents preferred to connect to the Internet using their mobile service, while only 36% preferred to use a public Wi-Fi network. Concerns about the security of train Wi-Fi networks was the reason that 63% stated that they preferred to use their mobile service, while 41% felt uncomfortable sharing personal information to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
Ingo Flömer, Director of Product Management for Cobham Wireless, said: “The research has revealed that in these hyper-connected times, the majority of commuters expect to be able to connect to the Internet on trains via their mobile service provider.
“Unfortunately, because of a lack of mobile phone coverage, passengers find it difficult to work during their business commute, unable to browse the Internet, send emails or even make phone calls.
“The results of the study are clear – more investment in mobile phone coverage would go a long way to improving passenger’s train journey experience and ensure they stay connected to work during their busy commute.”