25 November 2024: Rural towns and villages in the Scottish Borders and East Ayrshire are benefiting from faster, more reliable mobile coverage as UK government-funded 4G network upgrades were switched on.
Three further government-funded mast upgrades have now been activated in Scotland as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) – a programme brokered by the UK Government and joint-funded with mobile network operators to improve mobile coverage in rural areas. Scotland now has four masts that have been activated through government-funded upgrades, with more in the pipeline to be upgraded.
The latest activations mean that 28 government-funded SRN mast upgrades have now been activated across the UK.
The latest mast activations in Scotland mean that residents, local businesses and community organisations in areas including Ettrick, Hopehouse, Crosslee, Tairlaw and Craig can now take advantage of better connectivity, following the three sites going live this month in Scotland. These upgrades also connect those enjoying parts of the Southern Upland Way, Ettrick Water, and Water of Girvan.
The boost has been carried out by upgrading existing mobile masts which previously only connected EE customers and anyone making 999 calls, meaning communities can benefit from improved connectivity without the visual impact involved when building new masts.
It will enable residents, tourists and businesses to access reliable 4G coverage from all four mobile network operators – EE, Three, VMO2 and Vodafone – closing the digital divide between urban and rural communities and boosting economic growth in the region.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray MP said:
“Powered by UK government investment, three new sites in Scotland now have fast and reliable mobile internet access in rural areas. This is a crucial upgrade that will help to improve connectivity – from business to tourism, and particularly to ensure that emergency services can be contacted quickly when they are needed. This is an important step forward in our mission to kickstart the economy and unlock opportunity in rural areas across Scotland.”
Ben Roome, CEO of Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited (DMSL) said:
“With 28 emergency services sites now also supporting customers of all four UK operators, residents, businesses, and tourists benefit from this efficiently shared infrastructure. The Shared Rural Network continues to boost 4G coverage countrywide.”
Since the Shared Rural Network programme began in 2020, an additional 15,000 square kilometres – an area roughly the size of Northern Ireland or 2.3 million football pitches – are receiving coverage from all four operators, EE, Three, VMO2 and Vodafone.
Through the SRN programme, the UK government and the UK’s four mobile network operators aim 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.
The UK government is investing £184 million to upgrade Extended Area Service (EAS) masts to provide coverage from all four mobile operators. Currently, commercial coverage from EAS masts is only available from EE – the operator responsible for the Emergency Services Network.
Mobile operators have also invested over £500 million to target ‘partial not spots’, where customers can only access 4G if they are signed up with a mobile network operator that is active in the area. This part of the programme has already delivered significant coverage improvements across the UK, including in the areas of Shetland, Yorkshire, Fermanagh and Devon.
