UK government-funded mobile mast upgrades mark milestone in Wales
Latest development in £1.3bn mobile upgrade scheme sees upgrade of existing mobile masts which previously only connected EE customers and anyone making 999 calls
With the UK government recently reaffirming its commitment to the Shared Rural Network (SRN) scheme to improve mobile coverage in rural areas and bring 4G connectivity to all parts of the country, 30 government-funded mast upgrades have been activated in rural towns and villages throughout Wales.
Announced in 2019, the £1.3bn SRN programme was designed to wipe so-called notspots from the map, providing high-quality 4G coverage to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025.
The principle of the project was that through public and private investment, mobile phone masts would be built or upgraded across the UK to eliminate rural mobile notspots – that is, areas with poor or patchy coverage that could not receive a 4G signal from all mobile network operators (MNOs), or any signal at all.
The UK’s three MNOs – EE, Virgin Media O2 and the recently created VodafoneThree – committed to invest £532m between them to improve 4G coverage and level up connectivity, overseen by a jointly owned company called Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited (DMSL). The operators’ funding has been complemented by more than £500m from the government.
To deliver the first phase of the programme, all operators committed to upgrading or building mobile infrastructure and extending the reach of their 4G networks to eliminate partial notspots by 2024. The second phase of the SRN, publicly funded by the UK government, is due to be completed in 2027. This will see the roll-out of shared masts to bring 4G connectivity to areas that hitherto had no existing mobile service.
Across the UK, 56 masts are now live as part of the SRN. The UK government’s 95% geographic UK landmass target for the programme was met at the end of 2024 – a year ahead of the December 2025 deadline – and 4G geographic coverage from at least one mobile network operator stood at 96% by January 2025.
Since the SRN began, more than 10,000km2 have gained mobile network coverage for the first time. Almost 35,000km2 across the UK now has coverage from all UK operators, including over 3,500km2 in Wales, covering roughly 20% of the country.
Thanks to the Shared Rural Network, notspots are shrinking, connections are growing, and more coverage is on its way
Ben Roome, Mova
The latest roll-out will see businesses and community organisations in areas including Llangernyw, Pandy Tudur, Gwytherin, Cwmystwyth and Llanymawddwy benefit from better connectivity. These activations also bring enhanced connectivity to national parks Bannau Brycheiniog and Eryri, and areas of outstanding natural beauty Wye Valley and Bryniau Clwyd a Dyffryn Dyfrdwy.
The upgraded masts are calculated to cover a footprint equivalent to 66,470 football pitches, and over half of them are providing new coverage to areas of outstanding natural beauty or national parks. The UK government gave its assurance that upgrading existing masts will limit the visual and natural impact on the environment, causing less disruption to the surrounding areas.
These activations also bring coverage from all UK MNOs to over 2,500km of roads across Wales. The boost to coverage 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 need for additional infrastructure.
Commenting on the deployment, Ben Roome, CEO of Mova – the operating brand for DMSL and wholly owned by the forum main operators – said: “Thirty 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 2,500km of road, bringing connectivity to residents, businesses and anyone passing through. Thanks to the Shared Rural Network, notspots are shrinking, connections are growing, and more coverage is on its way.”
The secretary of state for Wales, Jo Stevens, added that funding by the UK Government meant 30 sites in Wales that were previously poorly served now have .
“Reliable connectivity improves every aspect of day-to-day life in rural Wales and makes a huge difference for local businesses, residents and visitors,” said Stevens. “This is an important step forward in our mission to kickstart the economy and unlock opportunity in rural areas across Wales.”
Read more about the Shared Rural Network
UK government upgrades over 50 existing mobile masts across nations: Mobile signal boost across UK countryside covering area larger than 66,000 football pitches, with masts across England, Scotland and Wales, including natural parks such as Snowdonia and Lake District.
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