British communications regulator Ofcom has announced the results of its first annual infrastructure report, giving us a snapshot of the current state of both mobile and fixed networks. Besides a lot of information on data usage, broadband rollout, and digital TV adoption, the report highlights the availability of the five main cellular networks around the UK — O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Three, and Vodafone. By analysing signal coverage across the UK, the survey reveals that on 2G networks, 97 percent of addresses and 66 percent of the country geographically are covered, which falls to 73 percent and 13 percent respectively on 3G. Cities generally fare very well, with parts of Wales and Scotland performing particularly badly.
While these statistics don't sound promising, it's worth noting that the numbers reflect more on customer choice more than actual coverage — since the percentages represent areas that can receive signal from all carriers, it's likely that a far greater percentage has access to at least one of the networks. To see how your area performs, check out the maps in the source link.