Shared Rural Network scheme hits mast upgrade milestone in Wales

As its major mobile communications development scheme gathers more pace, the UK government has revealed that 50 mast upgrades have been activated in Wales as part of its Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme.

The upgrades have been carried out on existing masts and now provide coverage from all four UK mobile operators – EE and VMO2 as well as Three and Vodafone before their merger  – across the equivalent of over 3,477km of roads in Wales, supporting residents, businesses and visitors. Specific areas that will benefit include a range of towns within the Powys, Ceredigion and Snowdonia regions, Eryri National Park and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

Launched in 2020, the £1.3bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme is a joint initiative between the government and the UK’s four mobile network operators to extend 4G connectivity to 95% of the UK’s landmass by the end of 2025. The founding principle is that through both public and private investment, new and existing phone masts will be built or upgraded across the UK to close down so-called rural mobile notspots.

Under the scheme, the four operators committed to improving 4G coverage and levelling up connectivity across the UK, which has seen them invest in a shared network of new and existing phone masts, overseen by a jointly owned company called Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited (DMSL). The operators’ £532m investment has been complemented by more than £501m in government funding.

The scheme is also seeing the UK government investing £184m to upgrade Extended Area Service (EAS) masts to provide coverage from all four mobile operators. Mobile operators have invested more than £500m to target “partial not-spots” across the UK, where customers can only access 4G if they are signed up with a mobile network operator that is active in the area.

According to the Connected nations report published by UK communications regulator Ofcom at the end of 2025, 96% of the UK now has coverage from at least one mobile network operator, up from 91% when the programme started in March 2020.

By the end of 2025, the SRN programme had already delivered mobile coverage to an extra 9,500 premises and 1,400km of roads in with 105 masts upgraded over the previous twelve months – 44 in Wales, 33 in Scotland and 28 in England – providing transformed connectivity to over 400 businesses in areas that were previously not served by all mobile network operators.

Commenting on the deployment, Ben Roome, CEO of SRN delivery partner Mova, said: “Upgrading 50 EAS masts in Wales shows the strength of a shared, neutral programme. Every site benefits every operator, every community and every mobile user. Together, they represent practical steps toward fairer, more resilient connectivity across rural Wales.

“Since the launch of the Shared Rural Network, 4G coverage from all mobile network operators has increased from 66% to 81% of the UK, an expansion equivalent to the combined size of Wales and Northern Ireland. With more upgrades planned, we remain focused on ensuring rural communities are included in a digitally connected UK.”

UK secretary of state for Wales Jo Stevens added: “Access to fast and reliable mobile coverage is increasingly important for residents, businesses and community organisations in rural communities all over Wales. Hitting this milestone is an important step in our mission to grow the Welsh economy, supporting businesses to succeed and creating opportunities in every corner of Wales.”