A survey conducted by Ofcom revealed that half of the mobile phones users in the UK have problems with mobile reception and one in every three users said this to be a regular problem.

The survey also found that 91% of small businesses have had difficulties with their mobile phone coverage with the existing or old connection.

As a solution to these issues, the mobile phone watchdog has recommended that the mobile phone users should have the opportunity of "try before you buy" facility.

Anna Bradley of Ofcom commented: "It's essential that consumers aren't trapped into contracts that don't give them the coverage they need. We would like to see providers offering consumers a 'try before you buy' clause that allows them to use their mobile and, if they don't get coverage, take it back."

Matthew Bath, technology editor of consumer magazine Which? further added: "The problem is very often you have to sign up for between 12 and 18 months for a phone contract and if you have signed up it can be difficult to get out of it. But across the board we find that less than 50 per cent of people are happy with the coverage."

It has also been found the most common problem for consumers was “not-spots" - where the reception is completely unavailable. 36% of mobile users have experienced this and 18% said this to be a regular problem. Poor sound quality and text messages being delivered late was another problem. This was experienced by a total of 20% users while 8% said this to be regular problem.

In spite of the problems with the services, only 12% users contacted customer services and only 2% users had changed networks.