The UK government has revealed that 30 mast upgrades funded under the Shared Rural Network (SRN) have now been activated, with 21 sites now live in Wales, five in Scotland and four in England.
Launched in 2020, the £1.3bn SRN programme is a joint initiative between the UK’s four mobile network operators – EE, VMO2, Three and Vodafone – and the UK government to extend 4G connectivity to 95% of the UK’s landmass by the end of 2025. The founding principle is that through both public and private investment, new and existing phone masts will be built or upgraded across the UK to close down so-called rural mobile notspots.
Under the scheme, the four operators have committed to improving 4G coverage and levelling up connectivity across the UK, which has seen them invest in a shared network of new and existing phone masts, overseen by a jointly owned company called Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited (DMSL). The operators’ £532m investment is being complemented by more than £501m in government funding.
The SRN and the government’s target is to provide 4G coverage to an additional 280,000 premises and 16,000km of the UK’s roads. The programme also aims to improve 4G geographic coverage to 79% of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, up from 51% before the programme launched, and 74% of National Parks up from 41%, benefitting millions of visitors every year.
Since the SRN programme began in 2020, the UK government says that an additional 34,000km2 – an area roughly double the size of Northern Ireland, or 4.6 million football pitches – are receiving coverage from all four operators.
The UK government is investing £184m to upgrade Extended Area Service (EAS) masts to provide coverage from all four mobile operators, reducing the digital divide between urban and rural communities and boosting economic growth across the nations.
The deployment includes a new mast which recently went live in the North York Moors National Park to allow more reliable mobile to rural towns and villages in Northeast Yorkshire such as Helmsley, Harome, Great Edstone and Cold Kirby. The reliable 4G connectivity now on offer had previously only connected EE customers and anyone making 999 calls.
Commenting on the deployment, telecoms minister Chris Bryant said: “For far too long, people living and working in remote places have been battling with poor phone signal. It is fantastic to see 30 government-funded masts being switched on, breaking down digital divides across the UK.
“Thanks to the Shared Rural Network, we are not only improving the quality of life for communities in these remote areas of Britain, but also creating more opportunities for local businesses, boosting tourism and helping emergency services to save lives.”
DMSL CEO Ben Roome added: “Since March 2020, when the Shared Rural Network was announced, 4G coverage from all four operators in England has expanded by over 11,000km2, nearly the size of the West Midlands region. This programme will continue to improve 4G service for people in rural areas as more shared mobile sites go live.”
