What is a ‘notspot’?

The word ‘notspot’ traces its origins back to the late 1990s, when wireless internet access was first rising to prominence through the GPRS and EDGE mobile data networks.

While most of the country had some degree of 2G connectivity, sparsely populated regions lacked the hotspots urban dwellers were getting used to.

It was an obvious shift from talking about data hotspots to talking about notspots instead.

The term stuck as we move into the 5G age, where – and stop us if you’ve heard this one before – sparsely populated regions lack the hotspots urban dwellers are getting used to.

But what causes notspots? And what’s being done to abolish them?

The haves and the have nots

There’s a popular misconception that a notspot is a location without any mobile connectivity at all.

In fact, the term describes any place where internet access is either absent, or just very slow.

And while the definition of ‘slow’ is constantly evolving, it can be argued that any connection at 2G or 3G speeds would now qualify.

After all, the fastest connection available over EDGE is 236Kbps, which would struggle to load a Wikipedia page, let alone a Twitch stream.

Although the most advanced LTE 3G mobile standard is theoretically capable of supporting 100Mbps downloads, the reality is far less dynamic.

Recent research suggested the average 3G download speed was just over 6Mbps, which is slightly more than half as fast as you’d expect over an ISDN phone line.

In an age of streaming, gaming and browsing content-rich websites stuffed with interstitial adverts and autoplaying videos, that may be inadequate for even basic internet access.

(While 6.1Mbps represents the average 3G download speed, many devices will connect at a fraction of this rate.)

There is no official definition of what constitutes a notspot, though one definition is any location where a mobile device is unable to display a webpage within 30 seconds.

Ironically, this can include densely-populated urban environments like stadiums and arenas, where there’s no WiFi and the 4G network is effectively swamped by data transfer requests.

After all, even a sluggish 4G connection should be perfectly adequate for modern-day activities like browsing social media, watching YouTube and sending emails.

And 5G, assuming it’s available, poses no issues in terms of upload and download speeds for everyday purposes.

State of the union addressed?

The UK Government has recognised the frustration and inconvenience caused by notspots, and it’s taking robust steps to tackle them.

In a world-first, an agreement between the UK’s four big mobile networks will see each company investing in a network of shared phone masts in rural parts of the country.

Consumers will be able to stay with their own provider, while benefiting from the best 4G signal provided by any of the big four network operators.

By relaxing planning rules for mobile masts, the Government hopes to extend 4G coverage to another 280,000 homes, and along almost 10,000 miles of roads.

Projected to cost more than £1 billion, this programme will ensure 95 per cent of the UK will be able to receive dependable 4G data if 5G isn’t already available.

And since England has the highest concentrations of both urban areas and network coverage, the benefits of this scheme will be felt mainly by residents of the other three Home Nations.

Within five years, you should be able to roam the valleys and glens without having to roam across different mobile networks to remain connected.