Latest news with #SharedRuralNetwork
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Mobile coverage blackspots shrinking in rural Wales
The improvements are part of the UK Government's Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, which is jointly funded with mobile network operators to boost coverage in remote and underserved areas. Ben Roome, CEO of Mova, said: "30 new EAS masts are now live in the Welsh hills. "For the first time, signals from every mobile network are threading through valleys and reaching a further 2,500 kilometres of road—bringing connectivity to residents, businesses, and anyone passing through. "Thanks to the Shared Rural Network, not-spots are shrinking, connections are growing, and more coverage is on its way." A total of 30 masts have been activated in Wales, out of 56 across the UK, delivering faster and more reliable mobile coverage to rural towns and villages. Communities in Llangernyw, Pandy Tudur, Gwytherin, Cwmystwyth, and Llanymawddwy are among those now benefitting from improved connectivity. The upgrades also extend coverage across Bannau Brycheiniog and Eryri national parks, as well as areas of outstanding natural beauty like the Wye Valley and Bryniau Clwyd a Dyffryn Dyfrdwy. The improvements have been made by upgrading existing masts that previously only supported EE customers and emergency calls. Now, 4G coverage from all four major operators—EE, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, and Three—is available in these areas. Jo Stevens, secretary of state for Wales, said: "Funded by UK Government investment, 30 new sites in Wales now have fast and reliable mobile internet access in areas which were previously poorly served. "Reliable connectivity improves every aspect of day-to-day life in rural Wales and makes a huge difference for local businesses, residents, and visitors. "This is an important step forward in our mission to kickstart the economy and unlock opportunity in rural areas across Wales."
STV News
04-07-2025
- Business
- STV News
Plans to install hundreds of 4G masts in rural areas scaled back
A project to install more than 250 mobile masts in rural Scotland has been massively scaled back following pressure from business and nature groups. The Shared Rural Network project had planned to build 258 4G masts across unserved parts of the country. But this will now be reduced to just 44 following revised plans – a reduction of around 83%. It comes after pressure from groups including Scottish Land & Estates, the John Muir Trust, the National Trust for Scotland, and a number of community councils. Opponents say the project would have installed masts in parts of the country that do not require them, and the scaled-down proposals will protect some of Scotland's most beautiful scenery. Anna Gardiner, senior policy adviser at Scottish Land & Estates, said: 'We are delighted that the Government has listened to our concerns and has scaled back the number of masts to be built in areas where they simply were not needed. 'This protects some of our most spectacular and beautiful landscapes and will alleviate pressure on planning authorities in rural areas. 'The original plan was totally flawed as it was based on covering an arbitrary percentage of the UK's geography, but in fact it did not benefit many of the rural communities and businesses which are currently in Total Not Spot Areas – where there is no 4G coverage from any provider. 'These areas are still crying out for a mobile network and in many cases community councils have been ignored. 'We would urge the UK Government to redirect the considerable sum of money that has been saved in order to prioritise these communities.' Thomas Widrow, head of campaigns for the John Muir Trust, said: 'This is great news for the amazing landscapes and biodiversity of Scotland. 'Some of the proposed locations for a mast were completely inappropriate. 'We need to ensure there is connectivity where people live and work, not in our most fragile and remote wild places.' Telecoms minister Sir Chris Bryant said: 'The Shared Rural Network has been a lifeline for rural areas, helping bring fast and reliable mobile internet to over 95% of the UK a year ahead of schedule. 'Our updated plans with telecoms operators will ensure new coverage is focused on those rural areas in Scotland where people actually live, work or travel, including popular walking routes. 'This important step will ensure masts are only built where they are most needed.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
04-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Mobile mast plans for rural Scotland massively scaled back
The Shared Rural Network project had planned to build 258 4G masts across unserved parts of the country. A PROJECT to install more than 250 mobile masts in rural Scotland has been massively scaled back following pressure from business and nature groups. But this will now be reduced to just 44 following revised plans – a reduction of around 83%. It comes after pressure from groups including Scottish Land & Estates, the John Muir Trust, the National Trust for Scotland, and a number of community councils. Opponents say the project would have installed masts in parts of the country that do not require them, and the scaled-down proposals will protect some of Scotland's most beautiful scenery. READ MORE: Plans for 1500 solar panels for historic Scottish hydro power stations Anna Gardiner, senior policy adviser at Scottish Land & Estates, said: 'We are delighted that the Government has listened to our concerns and has scaled back the number of masts to be built in areas where they simply were not needed. 'This protects some of our most spectacular and beautiful landscapes and will alleviate pressure on planning authorities in rural areas. 'The original plan was totally flawed as it was based on covering an arbitrary percentage of the UK's geography, but in fact it did not benefit many of the rural communities and businesses which are currently in Total Not Spot Areas – where there is no 4G coverage from any provider. 'These areas are still crying out for a mobile network and in many cases community councils have been ignored. 'We would urge the UK Government to redirect the considerable sum of money that has been saved in order to prioritise these communities.' Thomas Widrow, head of campaigns for the John Muir Trust, said: 'This is great news for the amazing landscapes and biodiversity of Scotland. 'Some of the proposed locations for a mast were completely inappropriate. READ MORE: Faslane nuclear base radioactive secrets to be released after FoI battle 'We need to ensure there is connectivity where people live and work, not in our most fragile and remote wild places.' Telecoms minister Chris Bryant said: 'The Shared Rural Network has been a lifeline for rural areas, helping bring fast and reliable mobile internet to over 95% of the UK a year ahead of schedule. 'Our updated plans with telecoms operators will ensure new coverage is focused on those rural areas in Scotland where people actually live, work or travel, including popular walking routes. 'This important step will ensure masts are only built where they are most needed.'
Tahawul Tech
01-07-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
UK operators seek to connect rural areas
UK mobile operators are ahead of schedule in their plans to cover 95% of the landmass with 4G as part of a rural connectivity scheme, with attention now shifting to areas marked total not spots (TNS). Along with the landmass targets, companies involved in the Shared Rural Network (SRN) completed projects involving roads and premises which were scheduled for January 2027. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) stated it is now working to address areas completely without coverage based on consultation with relevant communities and interest groups. The TNS plan is mostly focused on Scotland, with priority now being given to popular tourist areas, walking routes and Munros. In a related statement, the SRN organisation explained state aid would be available to operators only when tackling areas 'with no 4G coverage' from any player, with a view to connecting the public, devices, emergency services, and 'rural activities and operations'. The TNS plan proposes constructing 44 new shared masts across northerly and north-westerly areas of the Scottish mainland and islands. Although hailing the SRN progress and refreshed TNS targets, the DSIT conceded the latest plan involves building fewer masts in Scotland than originally envisaged, though emphasised the current strategy focuses on popular tourist destinations. The DSIT emphasised any new masts would still 'go through the proper planning processes' and be 'considerate to areas of natural beauty', local history and ecology. Source: Mobile World Live Image Credit: Stock Image
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Shropshire MP questions improvements to rural mobile phone coverage
An upgrade to mobile phone coverage on the Shropshire Hills has been welcomed although concerns remain about just how good the improvements are, an MP has Shropshire's Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, who has campaigned for better rural mobile coverage, said she had not noticed "any discernible improvement" from the recent Shared Rural Network (SRN) masts in England have been upgraded to provide 4G coverage on all networks, including in parts of Shropshire."Obviously any improvement is really welcome, but I think the Shared Rural Network of which this rollout is a part hasn't really delivered what it was promised to deliver," Morgan said. The rollout has been led by the government and phone networks with masts that initially only used to connect EE customers and those calling 999 being upgraded to provide coverage for all mobile network said the industry had spent £500m improving signals in places where people could get a signal from one provider but not from others."But I have to say my experience in North Shropshire is that we can't notice any discernible improvement at all and I'm really concerned that the targets that have been set for that rollout weren't stretching enough and haven't really delivered the improvements that we need to see," she said."Certainly in north Shropshire and I would imagine and, although I spend less time there, it's the same in south Shropshire as well."She said she accepted there were planning issues around more masts being installed in the countryside but also criticised the coverage maps that were used to set targets for being inaccurate."So, I think there's a bigger risk that they think everything is rosy," she added."The capacity on those masts isn't good enough for people to connect when they're out and about."As chair of an all-party group on digital connectivity, she said the group would be reporting to the government the issues that they were still finding."The government have listened, I think, to the point about coverage maps, and we're expecting to see coverage maps out soon," she said, adding that she was, however, not hopeful about how much better they would be. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
