4G mobile reaches nine in ten Welsh homes and offices
The communications market report 2016: Wales (PDF, 1.4 MB)
More than 90% of premises in Wales now have outdoor 4G coverage according to Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2016.
It reveals that 4G coverage from one or more of the mobile operators stands at 90.1% in Wales, narrowing the gap with Scotland (92%), England (98.8%) and Northern Ireland (99.3%).
Outdoor 4G coverage from all four mobile networks reached 43.9% in May 2016, up from just over 20% in 2015 (an increase of 23.9 percentage points). This compares with the UK figure of 71.3%.
In the past year, the proportion of adults in Wales using 4G services has almost doubled with more than four in ten (44%) now using a 4G mobile service, compared with 23% in 2015.
The landscape in Wales, with its mountains and valleys coupled with areas of low population density, poses particular technical challenges for the provision of mobile signals.
The terrain is extremely challenging and makes the construction of mobile networks both costly and difficult. The CMR Wales 2016 report shows there is more work to be done.
For example, the proportion of premises with outdoor 3G coverage from all four networks was 74.9% in May 2016 – the lowest across the UK nations and significantly lower than the UK as a whole (92.5%).
However, improvements are being made to extend mobile coverage in Wales. Rules put in place by Ofcom will ensure widespread availability of 4G data services in Wales by the end of 2017. In addition, an agreement reached between the UK Government and the mobile operators will also secure improvements in geographic voice coverage.
Rhodri Williams, Ofcom’s Director in Wales, said: “Mobile users in Wales are enjoying better mobile voice and data services than ever before, and progress is still being made.
“The topography of Wales makes it more difficult and costly to build communications infrastructure. So industry, regulators, planning authorities and landowners must continue working together to extend coverage further.”
People in Wales spend an average of 4 hours 10 minutes per day watching broadcast TV – more than anywhere else in the UK.
The BBC and ITV Wales spent £28m on new programme commissions for viewers in Wales - a rise of 4.5% from 2014.
Spending on non-news and current affairs programming increased by 14% in 2015, and by 28% since 2010.
Some 33% of TV households said they have a smart TV set – up from 17% in 2015.
Radio services reached 93.6% of the population of Wales in 2015.
People in Wales also listen to the radio for longer each week (22.1 hours) than the UK as a whole (21.4 hours).
BBC network radio services accounted for 51% of total listening hours in Wales.
Content spend on BBC Radio Wales increased by 7.1%, and 10.9% more was spent on BBC Radio Cymru.
Internet users in Wales spend 17.8 hours each week online.
Tablet ownership (67% of households) is higher than the UK average (59%).
Some 43% of adults use instant messaging services such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger weekly - up from 24% in 2014.
Eight in 10 internet users agree these new communications services have made life easier.
Take-up of broadband is in line with the UK overall (79% vs. 81%), and with each UK nation.
Take-up of mobile phones reached nine in ten (91%) adults in 2016, also bringing Wales in line with the UK (93%).
Smartphone ownership was lower than in the UK overall (65% vs. 71%).
Some 36% of people in Wales cite their smartphone as their most important device for going online.
Download this section (PDF, 172.8 KB) (updated October 2016)
Adults in Wales send less post (6.3 items each month) than the UK as a whole.
Over nine in ten adults (95%) say they are satisfied with the security of the service offered by Royal Mail.
Some 86% of adults are also satisfied with the length of time it takes for post to reach its destination.
More than one in five adults in Wales (21%) reported problems with lost mail in the past 12 months, more than in all the other nations
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