In Finland, the mobile network works best in densely populated areas, but elsewhere there are still many outages. There is no easy solution to the problem.
Many people living in sparsely populated areas complain non-functional mobile network connections. In the worst covered areas, you can’t even make a phone call with a cell phone.
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, which supervises the operators Traficom is aware of connection problems. The agency’s measurements emphasize the differences between urban and rural areas, says the director of the digital connections entity Lasse Laine.
– In general, connections work well in Finland. However, there are individual challenging places in sparsely populated areas and locally between operators, Laine sums up.
In addition, after the 3G network goes down Traficom received a lot of feedback of non-functional connections, especially in 2024.
However, the law says that every person and micro-enterprise has the right to working telephone connections and internet connections of at least five megabytes at their permanent address, regardless of location.
Operators: Investments are expensive
Why, despite the obligations, do these services not work for everyone?
In Finland, the mobile network is handled by telecommunication operators operating under market conditions. They build the mobile network primarily where there are the most paying customers.
However, operators are required to have 99 percent of the population covered by the network. That’s why base stations are also built in sparsely populated areas.
From Elisa, service director of the mobile network Tero Isotalo says that their goal is network coverage everywhere. There are local variations, however, because there are fewer base stations outside of population centers.
The construction of a new mast, the necessary access connections, energy and transmission connections, and the placement of a base station cost up to hundreds of thousands of euros in a sparsely populated area. That’s why investments are made carefully, explains the network director Jarkko Laari from DNA.
Our job is to make sure that everyone’s basic connections work, even if the problem affects only one person.
Lasse Laine, Traficom
Connections can also be improved with lighter means. Telia says that the operator can change the network settings, direct the antenna in the mast differently and increase the network capacity in a certain area.
Such changes can be made if a sufficiently large number of customers living in the same area give feedback about non-functioning connections.
What can you do yourself?
Quite a lot, say the operators – although nothing guarantees 100% always working connections.
When a customer contacts the operator because of hearing problems, they suggest improvements to the customer that he can make himself. However, it often means additional investments.
First, we map whether the customer’s terminal device, i.e. mobile phone or modem, supports the current network technology.
Elisa’s Tero Isotalo says that the device doesn’t have to be the newest on the market, but it has to be new enough to use all of the network’s capacity.
Connections are also affected by terrain shapes and buildings and trees in the way of the signal. Their effect can be corrected with an external antenna or an external router. Additional devices can cost hundreds of euros and remain at the customer’s expense.
Traficom’s advice to those struggling with connection problems is to test and compare the networks of different operators: there are local differences.
Lasse Laine advises to turn to Traficom if the operators cannot find a solution to the problems. A telecommunications company can be obliged to provide basic communication services at a certain point, if nothing else helps.
– I encourage you to contact Traficom with a low threshold. Our job is to make sure that basic connections work for everyone, even if the problem affects only one person. Basically, solutions are always found, encourages Laine.
Agricultural entrepreneurs Merja and Jussi Himanka live their everyday lives with dysfunctional connections in Kalajoki. According to the operators, the space is in the middle of the three masts and in the vicinity of them. In the video, Merja Himanka explains why the phone not working sometimes even scares me:
