06 May 2025

Luke Kehoe, Industry Analyst, Ookla

As much as 80% of all mobile data usage originates from indoor environments like homes, offices and shops. However, mobile networks were initially designed with an ‘outside-in’ approach—relying on outdoor towers to deliver coverage, with the expectation that the signal would reach indoors without being specifically optimised to do so.

This strategy helped minimise deployment costs and was based on the assumption that indoor connectivity could be provided by low-band spectrum layered over the macro mobile network, with higher data rate demands met by home broadband and public Wi-Fi networks indoors.

Consumers have come to rely on mobile data to serve their indoor browsing needs and expect performance parity as they move around from home, work, the shops, and everywhere in between. Even where Wi-Fi and related features like VoWiFi are available and sufficiently fast, in-building mobile coverage remains critical for last resort access to basic telephony features like calling and texting to ensure reliable access to emergency service networks. Indeed, in many advanced European markets, operators and regulators prioritise routing 112 emergency calls over mobile networks using VoLTE rather than Wi-Fi, as VoLTE offers greater reliability and quality of service through dedicated voice packet routing on mobile networks.

But if indoor connectivity is so important, why is it still so lacklustre? While there is no one easy answer, there are a few clear contributing factors.

Network Design

14 April 2025

“Next Starts Now” as Ericsson participates in GITEX Africa 2025 , as a key sponsor, taking place from 14-16 April in Marrakech, Morocco. GITEX Africa provides an important platform for industry leaders like Ericsson to showcase the latest solutions designed to drive the continent’s connectivity and digital evolution.

Visitors to the Ericsson booth will have the opportunity to engage with industry experts and explore how the company’s advanced solutions in network infrastructure, automation, enterprise business, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a transformative role in Africa’s diverse industries, from smart cities and mobility to telecommunications and beyond.