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Network analyst firm Streetwave has conducted an anecdotal study of UK mobile coverage (4G, 5G etc.) and mobile broadband speeds along the South West Mainline – as operated by South Western Railway (SWR). This found that customers connected via mobile operator EE received the best coverage, while O2 were the weakest.
The South West Mainline is a 143 miles long (230km) major railway (train) line between London’s central Waterloo station and Weymouth (Dorset) on the central south coast of England. The line is a key commuter route and around 118 trains a day run between the cities according to Trainline.
Streetwave defines “Essential Coverage” as being reflective of locations where the network provides users with connectivity of above 1Mbps download speeds, 0.5Mbps upload, and below 100ms (milliseconds) of latency (i.e. covering or allowing only the most basic of use cases / needs).
Overall, EE delivered the highest levels of Essential Coverage across the line – with 68% of the railway covered and their “simulated passenger” being without a dependable internet connection for a total of 44 minutes during the trip. But others fared worse. The fact that EE came top is not so surprising when you consider that SWR has a strategic partnership with BT (who manage the EE network, which SWR’s onboard Wi-Fi uses).
Essential Coverage Scores on South West Mainline
1. EE – 68%
2. Vodafone – 55%
3. Three UK – 42%
4. O2 – 33%Time Simulated Passenger Spent Without a Dependable Internet Connection
1. EE – 44 minutes
2. Vodafone – 61 minutes
3. Three UK – 79 minutes
4. O2 – 91 minutes
The survey was admittedly very anecdotal and really needed to be conducted several times, on different days and times of day, in order to produce a stronger level of data. But it does still provide a useful, if limited, snapshot of how mobile connectivity performs on the line (remember the onboard Wi-Fi service is usually also supplied via mobile capacity).
The results might also help to inform the current debate between mobile operators and the government. This is over whether public money should be diverted from the £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network (SRN) to subsidise coverage improvements along Britain’s railway lines.
Finally, it’s worth noting that SWR are currently developing “superfast Wi-Fi technology” with FirstGroup, which will be installed between Earlsfield and Basingstoke. This trackside solution will be fully integrated with their existing onboard Wi-Fi service, which will benefit their mainline passengers.