The latest news and media updates on the Shared Rural Network can be found below. Please check back regularly for new announcements and information.
If you have a media enquiry relating to the Shared Rural Network programme, please contact info@srn.org.uk. Please refer to the Contact Us page for all other queries.
16 June 2022: The two initial procurement frameworks for the Shared Rural Network are now complete, and suppliers have been appointed. The Acquisition, Design and Build (ADB) and Managed Solution (MS) frameworks were published in 2021 by DMSL on behalf of the Mobile Network Operators (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone). The ADB framework is designed to […]
27 May 2022: The Contract Notice for the SRN Transmission Framework has today been published. This follows the publication of the Acquisition, Design and Build (ADB) Framework in November 2021 and the publication of the Managed Solution (MS) Framework in December 2021. The Transmission framework will appoint a supplier to deliver the provision of IP-VPN […]
8 April 2022: The House of Commons Library has published a research briefing which looks at mobile coverage in the UK with a focus on rural 4G mobile coverage. It covers Government commitments on mobile coverage and measures to improve coverage such as the Shared Rural Network. Read the full paper on the House of […]
10 February 2022: Plans have been submitted for a new mast in Catlowdy, Cumbria to help improve 4G coverage in the area. The mast will provide coverage from O2, Three and Vodafone as part of the Shared Rural Network, which will help deliver coverage to rural communities across the country. You can read about the […]
3 February 2022: The UK Government has published their flagship Levelling Up White Paper, which sets out their plan to transform the UK through a complete ‘system change’ of how government works. The paper discusses the Shared Rural Network alongside Project Gigabit as part of their work to enhance digital connectivity across the UK. You […]
14 January 2022: The House of Commons Library has published a research briefing which explains the rules and permissions needed to build broadband and mobile infrastructure and discusses proposals for reforms intended to make building infrastructure easier. The paper looks at how telecoms networks are built and the challenges encountered, including planning issues, access agreements, […]
22 December 2021: The Contract Notice for the Managed Solution (MS) Framework has today been published. This follows the publication of the Acquisition, Design and Build (ADB) Framework in November. The MS framework will appoint suppliers to provide a managed solution to deliver mobile telecoms base station site services along with the operation and maintenance […]
16 December 2021: The 2021 Ofcom Connected Nations report, published today, demonstrates increased coverage across each of the UK Nations by the MNOs, including 46 deployments towards their Shared Rural Network commitments. Read the full report.
15 December 2021: EE will upgrade 4G in more than 2,000 areas by June 2024 as part of the Shared Rural Network initiative to extend coverage in rural areas across the UK. EE has upgraded its 4G network in more than 800 areas across the UK since the SRN deal was signed in March 2020. Today, […]
1 December 2021: Virgin Media O2 has announced it is rolling out new Shared Rural network sites in areas such as South Knapdale, Elvingston, Hamnavoe and the Isle of Harris. This is part of a wider announcement that 1.2 million homes and more than 2.8 million people across Scotland now have access to gigabit speeds […]
29 November 2021: The Contract Notice for the Acquisition, Design and Build (ADB) Framework has today been published, marking an important milestone in the publicly funded element of the programme. The ADB framework is designed to appoint suppliers to provide all of the services of Acquisition, Design and Build services for telecoms mast base station sites. […]
29 September 2021: Finding suitable sites, securing planning permission, and building mobile phone masts is more of a tricky and time-consuming business than you may have realised. This Vodafone Q&A explains why.
13 August 2021: The Shared Rural Network recently took another step forward by undertaking Carrier Wave Testing in the Fort William area. Technical consultants, Plum Consulting, headed to the Scottish Highlands to undertake a week’s worth of testing that will help engineers further develop radio plans for the programme. A temporary mast and a roaming […]
29 June 2021: People in rural Scotland, Wales and the North East of England will enjoy huge improvements in their mobile coverage thanks to the UK government’s world-first £1 billion mobile connectivity programme. This scheme is a major part of the government’s plan to level up all parts of the UK and will bring economic […]
26 May 2021: Real Wireless, the world’s leading independent wireless experts, today announced its appointment as Independent Assessor of the UK’s Shared Rural Network initiative by the Government’s Department of Digital, Media, Culture & Sport (DCMS). Real Wireless will act as the independent assessor for the TNS (Total Not Spots) aspects of the SRN rollout. […]
11 March 2021: Today the government is a step closer to delivering better mobile coverage in rural areas, as it publishes its transparency notice for the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme and can proceed with a £500 million investment to provide all corners of the UK with better mobile connectivity. Read the full DCMS press release […]
10 March 2021: Representatives of the UK’s mobile operators, EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, have today signed a key agreement in the development of the Shared Rural Network. The contract sets out how the four organisations will work together to build new sites that will deliver mobile broadband in areas where there is no existing […]
24 February 2021: EE will upgrade 4G in more than 500 areas in 2021 as part of the Shared Rural Network initiative to extend coverage in rural areas across the UK. The upgrades announced today fall under the first phase of the Shared Rural Network, where EE will invest to significantly reduce ‘partial not-spots’ by […]
10 February 2021: O2 have shared details of how the first phase of the Shared Rural Network will boost rural businesses and communities. Read more on O2 News
27 January 2021: The Government has launched a consultation looking at the Electronics Communication Code and whether changes are needed to support digital coverage and connectivity. Read more on the Government’s website
27 Jan 2021: Three of the UK’s mobile network operators – O2, Three and Vodafone – have shared details of a partnership, which will see new masts built and upgraded to deliver increased coverage under the Shared Rural Network. Read more on Vodafone UK News Centre
12 November 2020: Speed Up Britain has announced further industry support for their campaign in efforts to secure reform to the Electronics Communications code. Read more on the Speed Up Britain website.
23 July 2020: Vodafone has extended their mobile coverage in the Peak District through a mast sharing deal with O2 under the new Shared Rural Network. Read more on Vodafone UK News Centre
21 July 2020: An organisation named Speed Up Britain has been set up to help campaign for better mobile connectivity in every part of the UK. Read more on the Speed Up Britain website
17 June 2020: Vodafone expands their coverage with first site sharing deal in the UK under the Shared Rural Network. Devauden, a small village in Wales, is the first rural community to benefit from the programme. Read more on Vodafone UK News Centre
21 April 2020: The Shared Rural Network is a priority for the Government and Industry. We are working to assess the impact of Covid-19 on the programme. All parties remain committed to the successful delivery of the Shared Rural Network, which will transform mobile coverage, countrywide.
9 March 2020: Ofcom has welcomed an agreement between the Government and the UK’s four mobile network operators to deliver the Shared Rural Network improving mobile coverage across the country. Read more on Ofcom’s website
9 March 2020: Preseli MP Stephen Crabb has welcomed a deal between the UK Government and the country’s four largest mobile phone operators to increase rural coverage. Read more on Stephen Crabb’s website
9 March 2020: The FSB has today responded to news that the UK Government will work in partnership with the four mobile network operators to deliver significant improvements to mobile coverage across the UK. Read more on the FSB website
9 March 2020: Ministers and bosses from mobile network operators will meet this afternoon to sign a £1 billion deal to make poor and patchy rural phone coverage a thing of the past. The world-first deal will be a huge boost for people across the country in rural areas and will deliver strong 4G coverage irrespective […]
The Shared Rural Network, developed by the UK’s four mobile network operators and Government, will deliver 4G coverage to 95% of the UK by 2025, enabling rural businesses and communities to thrive.
Through shared and new infrastructure, the Shared Rural Network will increase the parts of the UK that get 4G coverage from all operators from 66% to 84%, improving consumer choice.
The mobile operators expect the Shared Rural Network will extend mobile coverage to an additional 280,000 premises and for people in cars on an additional 16,000km of the UK’s roads, boosting productivity and investment in rural areas.
