Dozens of\u00a04G\u00a0mast upgrades\u00a0have been activated\u00a0thanks to\u00a0UK Government\u00a0funding through the Shared Rural Network,\u00a0helping put\u00a0an end to poor\u00a0phone\u00a0signal for rural communities across Scotland<\/p>\n
Better mobile coverage will support rural businesses to respond to customers, manage\u00a0deliveries\u00a0and keep staff connected, while helping local communities access services, stay in touch and get help more quickly in emergencies<\/p>\n
Recent upgrades include\u00a0popular destinations\u00a0such as\u00a0the Isles of Arran, Islay\u00a0and Jura, Dukes Pass in Trossachs National Park and Tarbert on the Kintyre 66 route \u2014 with the\u00a050th site now benefitting Highland communities on the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula.<\/p>\n
Finding a decent mobile signal in rural Scotland is now easier than ever,\u00a0with\u00a050\u00a0UK Government-funded 4G\u00a0masts\u00a0now switched\u00a0on\u00a0to boost signal in some of the country\u2019s hardest-to-reach communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scotland\u00a0has\u00a0some of the UK\u2019s toughest mobile coverage challenges. Its rural landscape, remote islands, scattered\u00a0communities\u00a0and\u00a0mountainous\u00a0terrain make improving mobile signal more complex and costly than elsewhere, contributing to Scotland being the least connected of the UK\u2019s four nations,\u00a0according to coverage predictions\u00a0submitted\u00a0to Ofcom by mobile network\u00a0operators<\/a>.<\/p>\n That is why the Shared Rural Network\u00a0\u2013\u00a0a partnership between the UK Government and mobile network operators to improve mobile signal in rural areas across Great Britain\u00a0\u2013 is targeting some of the places where coverage is hardest to deliver.\u00a0UK Government funded upgrades are now providing 4G coverage from all four mobile network operators across more than 1,900\u00a0sq\u00a0km of rural Scotland, an area\u00a0larger than Edinburgh and Glasgow combined.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 50th mast was activated\u00a0near the remote\u00a0West\u00a0Highland\u00a0settlement of Branault on the\u00a0Ardnamurchan\u00a0peninsula, where stronger 4G will help residents, visitors and local businesses stay connected, access online services and get help more quickly in an emergency, regardless of which mobile network they use.<\/p>\n The upgrades\u00a0\u2013 which are\u00a0almost all\u00a0to existing masts to protect Scotland\u2019s natural beauty \u2013\u00a0are\u00a0benefiting\u00a0rural communities across Scotland, from\u00a0the\u00a0Highlands to Galloway and from the Cairngorms to\u00a0the Outer Hebrides.<\/p>\n Better mobile coverage will help rural businesses, including Scotland\u2019s tourism and outdoor economy, stay connected with customers,\u00a0suppliers\u00a0and staff across large or remote areas. Some of the most recent upgrades will\u00a0benefit\u00a0popular destinations including Tarbert on the Kintyre 66 route and Dukes Pass in Trossachs National Park, one of Scotland\u2019s most scenic roads, as well as the isles of Islay,\u00a0Jura\u00a0and Arran.<\/p>\n UK\u00a0telecoms\u00a0minister Liz Lloyd said:\u00a0<\/p>\n Scotland\u2019s mountains,\u00a0islands\u00a0and remote rural communities have made it one of the hardest places in the UK to deliver reliable mobile coverage\u00a0\u2013\u00a0but our investment is helping to change that.\u00a0<\/p>\n By switching on dozens more 4G masts through the Shared Rural Network, we are tackling long-standing blackspots and giving more people across rural Scotland the coverage they need to stay in touch, run businesses and get help in an emergency.<\/p>\n Reliable mobile coverage can be vital in rural and remote areas, where people may need to call for help after an accident, contact emergency services quickly, or share their location while travelling,\u00a0working\u00a0or exploring outdoors. It will also make everyday life easier for residents, visitors and businesses by helping them access online services,\u00a0keep in touch\u00a0with family and colleagues, use\u00a0maps\u00a0and travel information, and stay connected on the move.<\/p>\n Across Great Britain,\u00a0UK Government funding has activated more than 140 4G masts through the\u00a0Shared Rural Network. The programme\u00a0mainly upgrades\u00a0existing masts to boost rural connectivity\u00a0while\u00a0preserving\u00a0natural landscapes, with new masts built only where no suitable infrastructure exists.<\/p>\n The UK Government\u2019s investment in fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband has also connected more than 153,000 homes and businesses in Scotland\u2019s hardest-to-reach areas<\/a> that might otherwise have missed\u00a0out.<\/p>\n Ben Roome, Mova CEO said:\u00a0<\/p>\n Good growth depends on good connectivity. Every community should be able to\u00a0benefit\u00a0from the opportunities that digital infrastructure creates, regardless of geography. Reaching 50 government-funded sites in Scotland means more people, businesses and visitors can stay connected, access services and participate fully in modern life.<\/p>\n Kirsty McNeill, UK Government Minister for Scotland said:\u00a0<\/p>\n Reaching 50 UK Government-funded\u00a0masts\u00a0in Scotland is a milestone for rural communities who have put up with poor or non-existent mobile signal for too long.<\/p>\n From the islands of Arran,\u00a0Islay\u00a0and Jura to the Trossachs and beyond, this investment is making a practical difference to people\u2019s lives, whether\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0running a business,\u00a0keeping in touch\u00a0with loved ones, or getting help quickly in an emergency.<\/p>\n The Shared Rural Network is delivering for Scotland, and we\u2019re not stopping here.<\/p>\n Notes to editors<\/p>\n Upgraded mast locations<\/p>\n 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 About the Shared Rural Network<\/p>\n The Shared Rural Network is a partnership between the UK government and mobile network operators. It aims to improve mobile coverage in rural areas across the UK. The programme reached its target of delivering to 95% of UK landmass a year ahead of schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since the programme launched, investment from mobile network operators and the UK Government has increased 4G coverage in Scotland from at least one mobile network operator from 80% in 2019 to 90% today, with coverage expected to reach 91% by the end of the programme.\u00a0Coverage from all network operators has increased from 41% to 71%.<\/p>\n Emergency Services Network (ESN)<\/p>\n The government-funded masts referenced in this press notice are being built by the Home Office to support the new Emergency Services Network (ESN).\u00a0The government and mobile network operators have been working with the Home Office and the mobile network operators to upgrade these masts to provide commercial coverage from all UK mobile network operators.\u00a0Learn more about the ESN from the\u00a0Emergency Services Network<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Mobile Network Operator investment<\/p>\n As part of the Shared Rural Network the mobile network operators have also invested in their own mast network tackling \u2018partial not spots\u2019.\u00a0These are areas where customers can only access 4G if they are signed up with a mobile network operator that is active in that area. This work has already delivered significant coverage improvements across the UK and successfully completed last year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dozens of\u00a04G\u00a0mast upgrades\u00a0have been activated\u00a0thanks to\u00a0UK Government\u00a0funding through the Shared Rural Network,\u00a0helping put\u00a0an end to poor\u00a0phone\u00a0signal for rural…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-681350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=681350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=681350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=681350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=681350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n Lockerbie – Dumfriesshire,\u00a0Clydesdale\u00a0and Tweeddale<\/p>\n
\n Ettrick Valley –\u00a0Berwickshie, Roxburgh and Selkirk<\/p>\n
\n Ayrshire – Ayr,\u00a0Carrick\u00a0and Cumnock<\/p>\n
\n Crosslee – Selkirk, Scottish Borders<\/p>\n
\n Duns – Scottish Borders<\/p>\n
\n Kelso – Roxburghshire<\/p>\n
\n Lockerbie – Dumfries & Galloway<\/p>\n
\n Campbeltown – Argyll and Bute<\/p>\n
\n West Buccleuch –\u00a0Berwickshire,\u00a0Roxburgh\u00a0and Selkirk<\/p>\n
\n Acharacle\u00a0– Argyll and Bute<\/p>\n
\n Southend, Campbeltown – Argyll and Bute<\/p>\n
\n A849, Isle of Mull – Argyll and Bute<\/p>\n
\n Minor road from A848, near Salen, Isle of Mull<\/p>\n
\n Brechin – Angus and Perthshire Glens<\/p>\n
\n Forestry Track of A890 Strome Ferry near Kyle of Lochalsh – Inverness,\u00a0Skye\u00a0and West Ross-shire<\/p>\n
\n Bothwell Hill – Berwickshire,\u00a0Roxburgh\u00a0and Selkirk<\/p>\n
\n Tundergarth\u00a0– Dumfriesshire,\u00a0Clydesdale\u00a0and Tweeddale<\/p>\n
\n Girvan \u2013 South Ayrshire<\/p>\n
\n Kirriemuir – Angus<\/p>\n
\n Newton Stewart – Dumfries and Galloway<\/p>\n
\n Duns – Lothian East<\/p>\n
\n Land off B8007, Near\u00a0Glenborrodale\u00a0– Argyll,\u00a0Bute\u00a0and South Lochaber<\/p>\n
\n Off B8083,\u00a0Srathaird, near\u00a0Elgol\u00a0– Isle of Skye<\/p>\n
\n Langburn\u00a0Sheils, Hawick – Roxburghshire<\/p>\n
\n Strathconnan\u00a0– Muir of Ord<\/p>\n
\n Camas-Luinie\u00a0– Near Dornie<\/p>\n
\n Lammermuir\u00a0– Scottish Borders<\/p>\n
\n Off B955, Kirriemuir – Angus,<\/p>\n
\n Near\u00a0Dykehead\u00a0– Angus<\/p>\n
\n Innerleithen – Scottish Borders<\/p>\n
\n Tarskavaig\u00a0– Isle of Skye<\/p>\n
\n Near Heriot – Scottish Borders<\/p>\n
\n Kinlochspelve\u00a0– Isle of Mull<\/p>\n
\n Southend, Campbeltown – Argyll & Bute<\/p>\n
\n Land at\u00a0Bunessan\u00a0– Isle of Mull<\/p>\n
\n Near\u00a0Kingie, Glen Garry, PH35 4HS – Inverness,\u00a0Skye\u00a0and West Ross-shire<\/p>\n
\n Torrin – Isle of Skye<\/p>\n
\n Isle of Jura – Argyll & Bute<\/p>\n
\n Jedburgh ,\u00a0Roxburghshire<\/p>\n
\n Isle of Jura, Argyll & Bute,<\/p>\n
\n Strathcarron\u00a0– Inverness,\u00a0Skye\u00a0and West Ross-shire<\/p>\n
\n Barr – Ayrshire<\/p>\n
\n Kelsay – Isle of Islay<\/p>\n
\n Newcastleton\u00a0– Roxburghshire<\/p>\n
\n Tarbert – Argyll,\u00a0Bute\u00a0and South Lochaber<\/p>\n
\n Dukes Pass – Stirling<\/p>\n
\n Loch Muick – West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine<\/p>\n
\n Strathconon, Contin – Ross-shire<\/p>\n
\n Sliddery, Arran – North Ayrshire<\/p>\n
\n Branault, West\u00a0Ardnamurchan<\/p>\n