Rural MPs have accused regulator Ofcom and mobile operators of “gaslighting” countryside communities over the state of signal coverage. They warned that official statistics do not reflect everyday reality in large parts of Britain. MPs have argued that dropped calls, dead zones and failing card machines remain routine despite official data suggesting progress.
Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said one constituent had told her that “finding 4G is like striking gold”. She added that rural residents “have to put up with being gaslighted by the companies saying the signal is fine” despite their daily experience suggesting otherwise. Gaslighting refers to when someone manipulates you into doubting your reality.
John Lamont, the Conservative MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, said unreliable coverage was “deepening the divide between rural and urban Britain”, adding that rural communities “do not seek special treatment, only fair treatment”.
Regulator Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report showed urban 5G site coverage at 48% and suburban at 38%, rural coverage has edged up only marginally from 16% to 20%, with just 5% of rural sites offering standalone 5G.
It has previously been suggested that Labour risks deepening the UK’s worsening rural connectivity crisis by expanding plans to slash rents paid to landowners hosting mobile phone masts.
The Electronic Communications Code (ECC) of 2017 changed how mobile mast rental rates are calculated, replacing market-value rents with a “no-scheme” valuation to make it cheaper and faster for operators to build and upgrade networks, particularly for 5G.
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This reform has led to significant rent reductions for some landowners, sparking disputes and, according to some critics, slowing down infrastructure development.
Somerset farmer Roger Foxwell, who has hosted masts for more than 25 years, said rents on his remaining sites had been cut by around 90 per cent since the 2017 reforms.
He added: “That income helped support the farm and cover rising costs. “I’m proud to host infrastructure that keeps rural areas connected, but landowners have no formal route to raise complaints or challenge how operators behave. We feel we are left without a voice.”
Ministers have been warned that they are pressing ahead with extending the mast regime despite “mounting evidence” of strained relationships and patchy rural coverage.
An Ofcom spokesman: “We know that mobile companies’ predictions aren’t always accurate at a very local level.”
The regulator has released a tool called Map Your Mobile that “better reflects the experience people can expect in their area” using crowd-sourced data.