Residents, businesses and visitors across Derbyshire can now check which mobile service provider offers the best signal in their area following an East Midlands Combined County Authority-funded project to map coverage.
Derbyshire County Council and mobile mapping specialist Streetwave worked in partnership with district and borough councils throughout Derbyshire, using signal-testing devices fixed to their bin lorries, to collect crucial data on where mobile signals fail to deliver.
Funded by East Midlands County Combined Authority (EMCCA), the project measured the signal strength for the UK’s four main networks – Three, Vodafone, EE, and O2 – with EE found to be the provider with the best signal coverage overall.
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward said: “Reliable mobile connectivity is not a ‘nice to have’ – it underpins how people live, work, and do business every day. Derbyshire’s mobile mapping project gives us clear, real-world evidence of where coverage is working well and, just as importantly, where it is falling short.
“By investing in initiatives like this, we’re making sure no community is left behind because of poor digital infrastructure. Strong connectivity keeps residents connected, supports local businesses, and helps make our region a place everyone can be proud to call home.”
Now the data gathered has been used to create a countywide mobile signal map, giving the county council the evidence it needs to push for investment in better connectivity.
Residents can check their details and see whether they have the best coverage and downloads for their needs using a simple online checker on the county council’s Digital Derbyshire website at www.digitalderbyshire.org.uk
Councillor Carol Wood, Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for net zero and environment, said: “Most of us rely on fibre broadband and wi-fi when we’re at home or work, but once we step outside the building, we have to rely on connecting to the internet via our service provider’s mobile signal.
“This can be frustrating if the signal is poor. Things like loading maps, using social media, receiving emails and using online banking can be a slow process.
“Many businesses need strong mobile signals too for things like smart meters, taking credit and debit card payments, and even operating traffic lights.
“Now we’ve mapped which providers have the best speeds in each area, we’ll be lobbying providers to do better in areas where their connectivity is poor.”
Just one area was revealed as not having any signal at all – in Carsington. The county council said it will inform Ofcom which has the power to enforce at least one mobile service provider to maintain a signal in the area.
Funded by the county council’s Digital Derbyshire programme through reinvesting gainshare funds from the Digital Derbyshire broadband rollout, this is the first project to provide data about connectivity in Derbyshire based on real-life evidence.
Calls to emergency services use an open roaming system which means they automatically connect via the network with the strongest signal in the area where the call is being made.
Published on: 25 February 2026
Categories: News, Economic Development