No, for the most part, radio sets were too heavy and bulky or otherwise simply to rugged enough for practical use by infantry units. One portable radio set that was provided to the infantry required three men to operate, one man to carry the wireless set which was strapped to his back and front and two men, one fifteen in front and one fifteen metres behind carrying the required antennae. For obvious reasons this particular setup wasn't practical for accompanying attacking troops.

Communications during the First World War largely required wired telephones for transmitting messages to the rear. Carrier pigeons and dogs were also used and of course runners were used to carry messages. One of the biggest problems faced by al armies during the war was that once the infantry went over the top, until wired communications could be extended to new positions, those units were uncontactable by commanders in rear areas. For this reason, the various air forces were tasked with monitoring the progress of battles and communicating the location of infantry forces to the rear as well as to direct the artillery. By 1916, all air forces on the Western Front had planes equipped with two-way radios.

The nature of the static war on the Western Front meant that there wasn't really a need for a practical-man portable radio set, armies could make do with the relatively reliable wired networks and the use of carried messages and as a result, the development of practical wireless sets suffered.

Wireless transmission was more critical at sea and developed fairly quickly. The adoption of the convoy system allowed wireless messages to be transmitted relatively quickly as it was passed between ships.