We believe Britain can connect again
We're a campaign to stop the buffering and get Britain connected.
Our Story
Buffering Britain exists because Britain's mobile infrastructure isn't good enough and we got fed up of waiting for somebody else to fix it.
We rank 59th in the world for mobile download speeds – behind Kazakhstan, Peru and Vietnam. London has the worst signal of any major British city, according to Ookla, over 60% slower than Glasgow. Poor signal costs the UK economy at least £785 million a year in direct impact, and the people who can least afford it are hit hardest.
The next generation of technology – from the Emergency Services Network to smart manufacturing to precision agriculture – depends on fast, reliable mobile networks. Britain is in danger of being locked out of that future because we can't get the basics right today.
The solution requires making it easier to build masts, giving people more reasons to support getting them built, and proving that better-designed telecoms infrastructure can win planning fights that less aesthetic masts lose. Today's system makes infrastructure too hard to build, too easy to block, and gives landowners too little reason to host it. That's a policy problem with policy solutions. We're here to develop them and build pressure to get them adopted.
We're here to get those interests aligned. Operators want to build more masts, residents and businesses want better signal, and councils shown the evidence should want to help make it happen. Our job is to make that alignment visible and get the policy right.
Our Values
We're here to develop practical solutions to Britain's connectivity crisis and put them in front of the people who can act on them.
Better mobile signal isn't a left or right issue. We'll work with anyone who wants to fix it and call out anyone who's making it worse, regardless of party.
We want more infrastructure built faster – but we also want it built well. Change that doesn't bring people with you gets reversed.
Our Approach
Research
We're investigating the barriers to better mobile connectivity – planning bottlenecks, policy failures, investment gaps – using international comparisons and hard data to make the case.
Policy
We're turning research into actionable proposals. Our policy work aims to be ambitious enough to change outcomes and realistic enough to get adopted.
Coalitions
Poor connectivity affects businesses, commuters, charities, and communities. We're bringing together the organisations and people who want it fixed and giving them a shared platform.
Campaigns
We're making the problem visible, generating media coverage, and putting sustained public pressure on the people who have the power to change things – including the councils that block masts while their constituents are stuck on the loading screen.
Our Team
Ben Cope
Director
Jack Rowlett
Head of OperationsJoin the campaign
Whether you're a business owner dealing with dead zones, a commuter who can't get online on the train, or just somebody who thinks Britain can do better – we want to hear from you.
Get Involved