5G deployment in rural areas varies significantly across countries due to factors such as urbanization rates, topography, strategic investment, and government policies[1][3][4].
Availability:
* Nordic Countries: Denmark excels in 5G availability due to its high urbanization rate, flat terrain, and coverage obligations for mobile operators[3]. Similarly, despite lower urbanization rates and challenging climates, Norway and northern Sweden show high 5G availability in rural regions, supported by financial investments[3].
* France: While France leads in urban 5G availability at 22%, its rural areas lag behind at 13.5%, creating a significant urban-rural divide[5].
* Italy: Italy demonstrates one of the higher 5G availability scores in rural areas at 14.7%, second only to Switzerland, and also shows one of the smallest rural-urban gaps[1].
* Germany and Switzerland: These countries exhibit no statistically significant difference in 5G availability between rural and urban areas[1].
Download Speeds:
* France: Rural areas in France have average 5G download speeds that are faster than those in urban areas of Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom[5].
* Italy: Italy experiences the lowest 5G to overall uplift in rural areas, at 2.9 times. In comparison to other countries, the ratio ranges from 3.3 times in Switzerland to 5.6 times in the United Kingdom[1].
* Spain: Rural areas in Spain experience 35.3% slower 5G download speeds, which translates to 45.3 Mbps faster speeds in Spanish cities[1].
Factors Contributing to the Divide:
* Strategic decisions: In the early stages of 5G rollouts, many countries prioritized densely populated urban areas, which widened the gap between urban and rural areas[1].
* Cost: High deployment costs for the private sector and mismatches in coverage and take-up contribute to the lagging of rural areas, especially for standalone 5G[4].
* Terrain and climate: Challenging terrains and Arctic climates can also impact 5G availability, but these can be overcome through strategic investments and technology[3].
To address the rural connectivity gap, some countries are taking action:
* Joint Ventures: In Italy, WindTre and Iliad have created a joint venture to build a shared 5G infrastructure in rural areas[1].
* Government support: In Switzerland, Swisscom plays a significant role in preventing a digital divide between urban and rural areas because the government has a strategic goal to prevent this divide[4].
* Financial support: The European Investment Bank (EIB) has provided loans to facilitate 5G infrastructure deployment and improve 4G networks in rural areas of countries such as France and Sweden[3][5].
Citations:
[1] https://www.opensignal.com/2022/08/30/the-rural-urban-divide-widens-with-5g-rollouts-in-italy
[2] https://nybsys.com/does-5g-have-better-coverage/
[3] https://www.ookla.com/articles/nordics-5g-q1-2025
[4] https://catalunya-internacional.cat/media/upload/arxius/publicacions/AgoraDP/Agora14_DDT5G-EN.pdf
[5] https://www.opensignal.com/2024/05/07/frances-urban-rural-mobile-experience-gap-has-narrowed-with-5g
[6] https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1084295/FULLTEXT01.pdf
[7] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1215456/5g-cities-by-country/
[8] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8659819/