Freshwave Mobile Connectivity ROI Index reveals better indoor connectivity could grow UK economy by £70bn

Freshwave, a connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider, warns that UK economic growth is at risk due to current indoor connectivity limitations. According to the Freshwave Mobile Connectivity ROI Index, which surveyed 900 C-suite executives and IT decision-makers, organisations (100+ employees) collectively lose £100bn annually – an average of £4.6m each – by failing to fully take advantage of the available connectivity services. Respondents believe better indoor mobile connectivity could reduce that impact by as much as 70%, equating to added value of £70bn per year across the UK economy.

The findings come at a time when Sir Keir Starmer’s government is looking to call upon the transformative opportunity of AI and other advanced technologies to help deliver the economic growth promised at the election.

The vast majority (87%) of the participating organisations reported poor current indoor connectivity causes daily disruptions. Investing in better in-building mobile connectivity, such as 4G or 5G coverage, would reduce disruption and support revenue growth, increase operational performance, and drive higher customer satisfaction, generating £3.2m in annual productivity gains per organisation. Building layouts and construction materials, such as energy efficient glass, often block outdoor mobile signal from penetrating buildings, leaving people inside unable to use voice and data services on their mobile devices as they need to and leading to drops in productivity and satisfaction.

Simon Frumkin, CEO of Freshwave, commented: “The UK economy simply cannot afford to lose £100bn every year. That is why massive investments have been made in digital infrastructure over the past decade. We must now build upon this platform and ensure seamless mobile connectivity extends to wherever people want to use it. The prize will be £70bn of added value for businesses, so it’s little wonder the majority expect to invest in mobile technology over the next two years.

“Working alongside the UK’s mobile network operators, we’re at the forefront of helping businesses reap the full economic benefits of this decade-long investment. 4G/5G connectivity is going to enable transformative technologies across every sector, benefiting organisations and the economy both today and for years into the future.”

The public sector is the most affected by indoor connectivity dead zones, losing £46bn annually, with potential gains of £33bn not being realised. The professional and financial services sector follows, losing £24bn annually, with a potential gain of £17bn from better indoor mobile connectivity. As the nation’s financial and governmental hub, London stands to gain the most from improved indoor mobile connectivity (£14bn), followed by the South East (£13bn) and the Midlands (£10bn).

As the UK continues to wrestle with its long-standing productivity problem, the majority of respondents (62%) identified workforce productivity as being the primary beneficiary of improved indoor mobile connectivity. But as well as other immediate gains from better indoor signal such as financial performance (57%), operational efficiency (56%), and customer satisfaction (52%), respondents also saw longer term benefits such as AI-driven use cases, automation use cases and personalised experiences. They also believe as little as five minutes of poor connectivity per day translated to a 1% annual loss in productive time.

By investing in addressing indoor mobile dead zones, organisations expected to uncover £29.6bn in annual productivity gains – equivalent to 1.6% of their annual revenue or budget over the short term. CEOs in particular expected productivity gains equivalent to 2.1% of their annual revenue or budget by harnessing real-time analytics, tracking assets more accurately, and enabling intelligent applications for employees and customers.

Recognising the clear benefits of eliminating indoor mobile signal dead zones, 66% of respondents expect their connectivity budgets to increase over the next two years as they look to improve indoor service within a wide range of environments including stadiums, stations and hospitals.

Click here to download Freshwave’s Mobile Connectivity ROI Index 2025.