Ookla urges UK to look north for 5G inspirationOokla urges UK to look north for 5G inspiration

A new report by network intelligence specialist Ookla highlights the disparity in 5G availability between the Nordics and its neighbours, particularly the UK.

Nick Wood

January 21, 2025

2 Min Read

Four of the top five in Ookla's ranking of countries in northern and western Europe are Nordic nations (see chart below). Denmark leads the way with 5G availability of 83.4%. Sweden is third (70.1%), followed closely by Norway (69.4%) and Finland (68.3%). In second place is Switzerland, with 5G availability reaching an impressive 82.1%.

Ookla_Nordics_vs_UK.jpg

Ookla notes that Telia Norway announced at the end of last year that its 5G network had reached close to 99% of the population. Similarly, DNA in Finland said it had covered all mainland municipalities, and that population coverage was close to 100%.

In Sweden, Tele2 and Telenor have been able to cover 90% of the population thanks in part to their Net4Mobility joint venture. On that note, similarly-strong network sharing agreements between at least two operators can also be found in Denmark – where Telia and Telenor have their TT venture – and Finland, where DNA and Telia share networks in the north and east of the country.

According to Ookla, Nordic countries have excelled at 5G deployment thanks to the timely release of mid-band spectrum; innovative government policies that support widespread rollout beyond urban areas; and the aforementioned practice of network sharing.

In Denmark, Sweden, and Denmark, for example, various coverage obligations were attached to low-band spectrum in the 700 MHz band. Denmark incentivised bidding on this spectrum by auctioning it with no reserve.

Geographic factors, like high urbanisation rates, flat topography – with the exception of Norway – and high ARPU have also played their part in helping the Nordics go toe-to-toe with global rivals like the US, Qatar and South Korea, Ookla said.

The UK is not doing quite so well though.

"The United Kingdom recorded 5G Availability of 42.2% in Q4 2024, according to Speedtest Intelligence data. This places the UK behind its Western European peers – Ireland (61.9%), France (65.7%) and Germany (63.4%) – in 5G rollout progress and significantly trailing European leaders in the Nordic region," said Luke Kehoe, Ookla's European industry analyst.

He said the underperformance is symptomatic of deep structural barriers that hinder rollout progress.

"This is particularly striking given the UK's similarly high levels of urbanisation to the Nordics and its relatively less rugged and remote topography compared to countries like Norway – factors that should provide a comparative advantage for 5G network deployment in the UK," he said.

It's also worth pointing out that with the exception of Norway, the Nordics included in Ookla's ranking all have at least four mobile network operators, so it's not like these are concentrated markets with two or three MNOs sharing out the spoils.

"The success of the Nordics in achieving high levels of 5G availability in both rural and urban areas stems in part from robust policy measures aimed at incentivising widespread 5G rollouts, something the UK can learn from," Kehoe said.

About the Author

Nick Wood

Nick is a freelancer who has covered the global telecoms industry for more than 15 years. Areas of expertise include operator strategies; M&As; and emerging technologies, among others. As a freelancer, Nick has contributed news and features for many well-known industry publications. Before that, he wrote daily news and regular features as deputy editor of Total Telecom. He has a first-class honours degree in journalism from the University of Westminster.

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