These are the best (and worst) spots for 4G signal in the UK

Can't survive without a great 4G connection? Then if you live in the UK, you're going to want to move to Middlesbrough – it has just been crowned the UK's best spot for 4G coverage.

It topped the table of the UK's 20 biggest cities for 4G reception, based on a report conducted by OpenSignal commissioned by consumer watchdog Which?.

Middlesbrough was found to have 83% availability for residents, followed by Sheffield, Sunderland, Leicester and Leeds rounding out the top five. At the bottom end of the table sits Bournemouth/Poole with only 67.5% availability, while the capital city London sat in a lowly 16th place.

Super speedy to slow and steady

The report also looked at 4G speeds across the 20 cities, with Stoke-On-Trent leading the charge with average speeds 26.6Mbps, and Brighton and Hove sat in last place at 17.6Mbps. London again sat in 16th place according to the report.

The stats are compiled from over 500 million data readings taken from more than 30,000 mobile users, captured between December 1st 2016 and February 28th 2017.

“The mobile data experience isn’t the same in every city for UK consumers,” said Brendan Gill, the chief executive of OpenSignal. “Users found signals more often in Middlesbrough than in Manchester and faster 4G connections in Stoke than in London.”

The stats come in the light of a recent Ofcom report, which stated that three in ten (28%) UK homes and offices suffered from poor indoor 4G signal from the UK's four major networks. Ofcom has laid down the gauntlet, with a target that 98% of UK homes should be able to connect to a 4G signal by the end of this year.

For the full Which? report, click here.

Gerald Lynch

Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don't expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press.

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