Brits could unlock more than three weeks* of unproductive time a year by running their lives more effectively from their mobiles on-the-go, according to new research by VodafoneThree.
- Productivity potential: UK could compete with European counterparts such as Germany, France, Spain and Hungary and tackle a £115.5bn productivity gap each year by getting more things done on the move.
- Win back the summer: Across work, admin, travel and healthcare tasks, Brits could gain back an average of 22 days a year when compared to their European counterparts if mobile connectivity continues to improve in the UK.
- NHS Savings: Improved connectivity could save the NHS more than 35 million missed remote appointments a year by allowing people to book and reschedule on the go.
The research shows Brits lack the connectivity confidence to work effectively on-the-go. A third of the UK feels unable to leave their home or office Wi-Fi and almost half (46%) spend most of their working day at a desk as a result. This lack of flexibility extends beyond the working week with more than a third (34%) saying their weekend to do list would be shorter if they could be more productive on the go.
The cumulative effect means we lose out on a potential £115bn productivity boost to the economy.
VodafoneThree is delivering a UK-wide £11 billion investment programme to help raise the speed and quality of connectivity across the country following the merger between Vodafone and Three last year. It will bring 5G Standalone coverage to 99% of the UK population by 2030, and 99.96% by 2034, helping millions of people to work, shop and access public services seamlessly.
The rollout will help Brits be more productive on-the-go. On average, Brits waste almost two hours a week being unproductive on the commute and over an hour sitting in waiting rooms and waiting to pick up children or dependents. Overall, Brits unproductive time totals more than 10 hours a week, more than France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Hungary and South Korea, who can use this time to get ahead of their work and life to-do lists from their phones.
The research shows that if the UK matched the mobile working mentality of Hungary, the most productive on-the-go nation in the study, Brits could clawback 22 days a year. The biggest time savings could come from accessing and collaborating on work documents, taking calls on commutes and joining remote NHS consultations from phones.
The findings follow a UK Government consultation looking at how to support investment and innovation in the UK’s mobile networks to drive growth across the country. The research suggests that by eliminating skills, planning and regulatory barriers to network investment, the UK can see increased productivity and reduced costs for the NHS while helping the UK to slash its weekend to do list.
Andrea Donà, Chief Network Officer at VodafoneThree, said:
“Boosting the UK’s productivity doesn’t have to mean spending more hours behind our desks. But to change the way the nation works, we need mobile networks that keep us connected to colleagues, technology and essential services on the move.
“Our £11 billion network investment is already helping communities across the UK to be more connected, productive and prosperous. But to truly catch up with the rest of Europe and beyond, we have to treat our mobile networks as Critical National Infrastructure.
“The UK Government is rightly taking this issue seriously. With improvements to the planning system and regulations fit for the digital economy, our networks can help to make public services more accessible, close digital divides and lay the foundations for growth.”
More accessible public services, productive commutes and longer weekends
Almost half (43%) of employed Brits say they would prioritise working on the move if they felt confident in the quality of the UK’s networks, including collaborating with AI (16%) and rescheduling video calls while they are out of the office (16%). Together, it amounts to a potential productivity boost worth £115.5bn a year to the UK economy.
The benefits also extend to our weekends. Brits say that the time saved from being more productive on their mobile devices could cut their weekend to-do lists (34%) by helping them book all GP appointments through apps or their phones (23%), pay utility bills (27%) and book tickets on-the-go (16%).
Modelling from Development Economics estimates that improved connectivity could save the NHS more than 35 million missed remote appointments a year, a potential saving of £1.36bn a year.
-Ends-
* This has been calculated by adding the mean values for each row in Q3 “In the last week, how much time, if any, have you lost to the following when using your mobile device to get things done on the go?” for the UK and Hungary (the UK average is 18 hours and Hungary is 8 hours).
** This has been calculated by adding the mean values for each row in Q1 “In the last week, how much time, if any, have you lost to the following activities where you haven’t been able to use your mobile device to get things done on the go?”.
Notes to Editors:
The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2000 adults 18+ in the UK. The data was collected between 15.06.2026 – 19.06.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. Censuswide adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.
Modelling on the economic impact of improved mobile working uses the ONS output per hour data series to estimate the potential Gross Value Added to the economy of additional working time.
Modelling on the potential to reduce missed appointments uses NHS England data showing that there are 383 million GP appointments in England each year, one third of which are made remotely, with an estimated 25% made using mobile devices. Estimates produced in 2019 by NHS England indicate that the estimated cost of a missed appointment averaged £30. Adjusting this estimate for inflation over the 2019-2025 period results in an average cost of £38.40.
Modelling provided by Development Economics.
