Photo via TikTok: @koopatrooping

A British tourist was surprised to find a strong 5G signal while on a boat in the middle of the sea in Thailand's Phang Nga province. Capturing the moment on video, he humorously compared the mobile service to the often unreliable coverage he experiences in London. The video, shared on TikTok by @koopatrooping, quickly went viral.

The traveller was on a holiday exploring Thailand, visiting Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Koh Yao Noi. It was during a boat ride on his trip that he noticed the impressive 5G performance, leading him to joke about the lack of signal in South London. The unexpected strength of Thailand's telecom infrastructure generated widespread interest online.

Reactions from viewers highlighted the surprising contrast between Thailand's robust mobile network and the often lacking service experienced in various parts of the UK and other Western cities. Commenters shared similar experiences in Thailand, noting strong 5G connections even in remote areas, while often facing challenges in urban settings back home.

Thai users also chimed in, affirming the reliability of 5G in areas such as the mountains around Chiang Mai. For many, the traveller's experience underscored Thailand's rapid digital advancements—a point of national pride as the New Year begins.

With the video's popularity, experts suggest a renewed focus on improving telecom infrastructure where needed, especially highlighted by international comparisons.

Looking ahead, the ongoing discussions may amplify calls for better global connectivity solutions. Meanwhile, stories like that of the British woman who relocated to Thailand's Koh Samui for a more laid-back life indicate a growing interest in the region's unique allure and quality of living, reported The Thaiger.

Key Takeaways

• A British tourist’s viral video highlights Thailand’s strong 5G service.

• The clip sparked comparisons with often lagging Western telecom systems.

• This event underscores Thailand’s digital progress and connectivity.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2026-01-06

 

 

17 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

A British tourist was surprised to find a strong 5G signal while on a boat in the middle of the sea in Thailand's Phang Nga province. Capturing the moment on video, he humorously compared the mobile service to the often unreliable coverage he experiences in London.

That's because Thailand uses equipment from Huawei, whilst the UK has Sinophobia and dumped Huawei for some crappy alternative

53 minutes ago, Stocky said:

That's because Thailand uses equipment from Huawei

No I think it is because Thailand was able to start it's infrastructure roll out without a huge legacy equipment 'anchor' .

The pivot away from Huawei in the UK was quite recent and the alternatives are just as good but not subsidised by the Chinese government so more expensive and perhaps/maybe don't have the backdoors installed but probably do so 3 letter agencies can still snoop on everything ..but not the Chinese agencies so that's perfectly fine ☠️

So, now he just got another nail in the picture of a long-gone country.

Did he try to receive an International SMS that Thailand seems to like to block?

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Photo via TikTok: @koopatrooping

A British tourist was surprised to find a strong 5G signal while on a boat in the middle of the sea in Thailand's Phang Nga province. Capturing the moment on video, he humorously compared the mobile service to the often unreliable coverage he experiences in London. The video, shared on TikTok by @koopatrooping, quickly went viral.

The traveller was on a holiday exploring Thailand, visiting Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Koh Yao Noi. It was during a boat ride on his trip that he noticed the impressive 5G performance, leading him to joke about the lack of signal in South London. The unexpected strength of Thailand's telecom infrastructure generated widespread interest online.

Reactions from viewers highlighted the surprising contrast between Thailand's robust mobile network and the often lacking service experienced in various parts of the UK and other Western cities. Commenters shared similar experiences in Thailand, noting strong 5G connections even in remote areas, while often facing challenges in urban settings back home.

Thai users also chimed in, affirming the reliability of 5G in areas such as the mountains around Chiang Mai. For many, the traveller's experience underscored Thailand's rapid digital advancements—a point of national pride as the New Year begins.

With the video's popularity, experts suggest a renewed focus on improving telecom infrastructure where needed, especially highlighted by international comparisons.

Looking ahead, the ongoing discussions may amplify calls for better global connectivity solutions. Meanwhile, stories like that of the British woman who relocated to Thailand's Koh Samui for a more laid-back life indicate a growing interest in the region's unique allure and quality of living, reported The Thaiger.

Key Takeaways

• A British tourist’s viral video highlights Thailand’s strong 5G service.

• The clip sparked comparisons with often lagging Western telecom systems.

• This event underscores Thailand’s digital progress and connectivity.

Related Stories

Instagram traveler visits UFO hot-spot in Thailand and gets decent footage

Thailand Rejects Starlink's 100% Ownership Proposal

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2026-01-06

 

 

I expected him to start rapping to the music.........

Oh great , now you can get irradiated with 5G at sea.

My Aussie friends when they visit here in rural Surin comment on the speed of downloads here compared to Oz ...

Both the 5G coverage and the fiber optic stream that I get are far better than that which I get in the United States, at about one quarter of the cost. And much faster too.

In Los Angeles I often get speeds as slow as 20 MB down on 5g, and 150 MB down on fiber. Here I get 1GB down on fiber, and I consistently get speeds of 150 to 300 MB on my phone with 5G.

And they claim the US is a first world country and Thailand is 3rd world? Ha!

10 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Both the 5G coverage and the fiber optic stream that I get are far better than that which I get in the United States, at about one quarter of the cost. And much faster too.

In Los Angeles I often get speeds as slow as 20 MB down on 5g, and 150 MB down on fiber. Here I get 1GB down on fiber, and I consistently get speeds of 150 to 300 MB on my phone with 5G.

And they claim the US is a first world country and Thailand is 3rd world? Ha!

More to do with new infrastructure than anything else.

Everything in Asia is new, while the west is stuck with legacy equipment.

UK is the same, very poor speeds outside the major cities.

And probably more monitoring and throttling by the governments.

16 hours ago, Stocky said:

That's because Thailand uses equipment from Huawei, whilst the UK has Sinophobia and dumped Huawei for some crappy alternative

RIP OFF Britain is the obvious problem. As to Huawei? Any self respecting person wouldn't touch it. It has more bugs than a flea ridden do dog.

Yes because London and the UK is horrible. It normally here but there are a few dead spots in bkk and Chiang Mai. Mr Britton I'd like to tell you for the last 10 years I can drive across Thailand from the north to the South and I will have 5G working all the way.

The video, shared on TikTok by @koopatrooping, quickly went viral.

The sad times we live in...

28 minutes ago, arick said:

Yes because London and the UK is horrible. It normally here but there are a few dead spots in bkk and Chiang Mai. Mr Britton I'd like to tell you for the last 10 years I can drive across Thailand from the north to the South and I will have 5G working all the way.

No you didn't, 5G was only launched in Thailand in 2020.

Wonder if there was a signal in the channel for his dinghy?

TAT will soon say the tourists is flocking to Thailand.

5 hours ago, mfd101 said:

My Aussie friends when they visit here in rural Surin comment on the speed of downloads here compared to Oz ...

For my home internet, I get 50Mbps in Australia and 800Mbps in Bangkok. The cost is Australia is more than 4 times the cost in Bangkok.

6 hours ago, mfd101 said:

My Aussie friends when they visit here in rural Surin comment on the speed of downloads here compared to Oz ...

Yep 5miles out of a town no mobile signal......

I live about 10km south of Khlung in Chanthaburi. I've only just changed my phone to a 5g one and my contract is only 4g but I have trouble even getting that. It runs out soon so I'll see what happens when I change it.

One of the issues, as well as newer tequipment, might be due to transmission towers. In a lot of western countries there is opposition to radio towers, especially near schools which may not be the same in Thailand. I have a house in Mahasarakham and there's a tower in the Post Office car park across the road from a school. In Chanthaburi I can't see any nearby, which is unusual.

7 hours ago, Vlada Floric said:

Did he try to receive an International SMS that Thailand seems to like to block?

Bet he couldn't get any porn channels.

4 hours ago, Anthony mellows said:

Bet he couldn't get any porn channels.

Plenty of them can be accessed without vpn or anything else. Just need to be more creative than Thai sensors. 😉😉😉

The coverage in the uk is rubbish, i walked through the jungle miles from anywhere, getting better signal for half the price i pay in rip off scotland