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Shared Mobile Network to Most Benefit Scotland, Wales and NE England

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The £1 billion Shared Rural Network (SRN) will significantly boost 4G mobile coverage in Scotland, Wales and North East England, new government figures have revealed.

The Shared Rural Network is an industry-led scheme, supported by £500 million of public funds, to extend geographic 4G mobile coverage to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025. It involves the country’s four mobile operators sharing existing masts in some rural areas and building new shared masts in others.

The initial commitment by EE, O2, Three and Vodafone was announced in March 2020. In February of this year, O2, Three and Vodafone revealed that they had reached an agreement to build and share 222 new 4G masts as part of Phase One of the project. Meanwhile, EE’s Phase One work will bring 4G to 579 rural areas this year.

New figures released by the government this week have revealed the level of improvement in mobile connectivity regions of the UK can expect from the investment.

Scotland will benefit the most, with geographic 4G coverage from all mobile operators increasing from 44% to 74% by 2025. The Highlands and Islands, where just 28% of the landmass receives 4G signal from all networks, will see that rise to 68%.

In Wales, coverage from all operators will climb from 60% to 80%, while the North East of England will see 86% of its landmass covered by 4G from all operators by 2025, up from 68% today.

The investment in the shared rural network “will improve the lives of millions of people in rural parts of Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland,” Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said.

Hamish MacLeod, Director of industry body Mobile UK, said: “The Shared Rural Network is a transformational project backed by a half a billion-pound investment from the mobile operators to extend coverage in rural areas across the country. 

"Mobile operators have already started to deliver on this commitment, with new sites coming online in partial coverage areas. We are committed to providing a reliable 4G mobile signal to 95% of the UK’s landmass and improving the experience for people living, working and travelling in rural areas.”

The government and mobile providers previously revealed that the Shared Rural Network will bring guaranteed 4G coverage to an additional 28,000 premises and 16,000 kilometres of road. It will also improve indoor coverage in around 1.2 million homes and business premises and boost in car coverage on 45,000 kilometres of road.

The government is also launching a consultation with the industry to identify existing infrastructure that can be harnessed to bring mobile coverage to total not spots. Currently around 9% of the UK, by geography, is a total not spot (TNS), an area with no 4G coverage from any operator.

Lauren Smith
Lauren Smith

Lauren Smith has worked as a journalist and copywriter for most of the last decade, covering technology, energy, and consumer rights, in the US and UK.

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