Adventurer Simon Reeve hails bid to boost UK phone connection after own struggles to get online

Reeve has taken extreme steps to get connected to the internet, including scaling scaffolding outside his home, and backs Vodafone’s 5G Broadband launch

Adventurer Simon Reeve has revealed he has taken extreme steps to get connected to the internet, including scaling scaffolding outside his home.

The writer and presenter has travelled to some of the most remote places on earth, including the Arctic, the Congo Rainforest and the Kalahari Desert.

Despite being based in the UK, he is one of millions of Brits living in homes unable to access full fibre broadband.

The result is often slow and unreliable Wi-Fi, which 67% say is their biggest pet peeve according to new research by Vodafone.

Nearly a quarter (24%) rely on hot spotting from their phone every day despite 87% saying fast home Wi-Fi is essential.

Simon said: “I’ve travelled to some of the most remote places on earth, and I know just how important it is to stay connected.

“Even at home in Devon I’ve had to resort to wandering around a field, sitting on scaffolding and even banning my son from streaming to combat slow Wi-Fi.”

Simon isn’t the only one going to great lengths to stay connected, with 55% admitting taking work calls in unusual spots, including the garden (18%), the car (14%), and even the bathroom (11%) when signal dips.

For many, losing internet access has meant abandoning the working day altogether, with 18% saying they logged off for the rest of the day.

However, there is a solution. Vodafone is launching 5G Broadband, which could benefit around 3.7million houses in the UK who can’t yet access full fibre.

Some of them are in areas so remote that Simon set off to help, traversing land and sea to deliver 5G routers to residents of a remote hamlet in rural Cornwall.

Simon said: “It’s really significant that Vodafone is bringing powerful broadband to millions more homes across the UK that up to now have had to make do with slow connectivity.

“Vodafone 5G Broadband can be connected in an instant, and although my quest to get it to the Cornish countryside wasn’t straightforward, getting the locals connected to powerful broadband couldn’t have been simpler.”

The service is designed for homes without full-fibre, including the millions still relying on slow copper and part-fibre connections. Many are in towns and, surprisingly, more than 60% of the 3.7 million without full‑fibre are based in cities.

A Vodafone spokesperson added: “ Slow or unreliable broadband is still a daily frustration for millions of people across the nation, whether they live in a remote hamlet or the middle of a busy city.

“Our research shows just how much it impacts people’s lives. With the addition of Vodafone 5G Broadband we’re giving customers real choice: full‑fibre broadband where it’s available, and powerful 5G Broadband where it’s not – plus, better options for anyone just wanting speed with ease and flexibility.

“We can now deliver a powerful, reliable service via our broadband solutions to 26million homes – more than any other UK provider.”

To find out more, and to check what option is best for you, go to www.vodafone.co.uk/broadband/5g-home-broadband

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .