In the UK, many of us are now totally dependent on mobile connectivity for various aspects of our day-to-day lives, even without realising it; from managing our finances to maintaining our social lives and keeping in touch with loved ones. Taking a step back it is sometimes missed how the power of mobile connectivity truly allows us to Live Better Connected.

To showcase how we use mobile connectivity and how we rely on it we challenged Iain Morris, news editor at industry publication Light Reading, to see if he could get through 24 hours without mobile connectivity by removing his SIM card from his mobile phone.  

As part of this challenge, Iain was still able to use his mobile phone; however, he would need to rely on either his home Wi-Fi or public Wi-Fi hotspots while out and about. Through this challenge, we sought to demonstrate how interconnected we have become and why this technology has become so necessary to our daily lives.  

Following the completion of his challenge, we invited Iain to join our Director of Policy and Communications, Gareth Elliott, in our latest Live Better Connected podcast episode to explain how he got on.

During the episode, Iain explains that, to begin with, his home Wi-Fi proved adequate to allow him to complete his early work tasks. However, at the point of leaving the house, he was met what would become several hurdles. Just leaving the house Iain compared it to the unsettling feeling of being out without your keys, and a sense of anxiety.

Traveling via public transport without mobile connectivity was a unique experience for Iain during the 24-hour challenge. He explained that while traveling on public transport, he would typically use the time to read articles online, tether to his laptop, or check his emails; however, this, of course, was not possible during the challenge.

Throughout the episode, Iain highlights the numerous hurdles he faced throughout, from not being able to communicate easily with his son, struggling to monitor daily finances through online banking, and many more.  

Watch our latest Live Better Connected podcast episode for more information on Iain's experience without connectivity and why it is so important to everyday life.

Iain has also written an article entitled 'Bad Wi-Fi and smombie envy: My day without mobile' that explains his experience with our challenge. You can read it here.

As part of our "Live Better Connected" campaign, we encourage you to participate in our 'How Connected Are You?' challenge to find out what type of mobile user you are. If you are a X (formerly Twitter) user, you have the chance to win a £20 Amazon voucher by completing the challenge and sharing your results on X using the hashtag #LiveBetterConnected.

We have also launched an educational tool to challenge thinking around the role of mobile connectivity in our daily lives.

Please subscribe to the Mobile UK YouTube channel for notifications of future episodes, and remember, you can nominate guests for future episodes by getting in touch: MobileUK@purplefish.agency.

‍