Development of mobile connectivity in Finland is concentrated in urban areas

According to data collected by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom from telecommunications operators, a 4G network with download speeds of at least 100 Mbps covers approximately 96 per cent of households under ideal conditions, while the corresponding 5G network covers around 93 per cent. Household coverage of high-speed networks is therefore very good, but geographic coverage is significantly lower: 4G at 100 Mbps covers only about 28 per cent of Finland’s land area and the corresponding 5G network about 19 per cent. Network coverage has remained largely unchanged in recent years, with development occurring primarily in performance.

“Comprehensive mobile networks are a key prerequisite for the digitalisation of society and the smooth use of digital services,” says Director Lasse Laine at Traficom.

Nearly 80,000 households in Finland lack access to high-speed mobile connectivity

High-speed mobile connections are concentrated particularly in urban areas and their surroundings. Significant coverage gaps still occur, especially in sparsely populated rural areas and other rural-type areas. Approximately 77,000 households are outside the coverage of high-speed mobile networks, most of them located in rural areas.

Fastest mobile connections on the road are near urban areas

Based on measurements carried out using the Bittimittari.fi application, Traficom has also examined average download speeds on main roads (Class I and Class II). These include both busy main routes and less frequently used sections. A total of approximately 40,500 measurements were carried out between 1 June 2023 and 31 January 2026, covering around 56 per cent of the length of the road sections analysed.

According to the results, download speeds are highest in cities and their surrounding areas. This is linked to a denser base station network and greater capacity.

“Further away from population centres, however, download speeds decline significantly. This is due to a sparser base station network and the greater impact of terrain on radio signal propagation,” explains Sotaniemi.

Regional data on the performance of mobile networks along transport routes can also be viewed in Traficom’s map service.