MOBILE coverage across the rural parts of Carmarthenshire is set to be improved. The Shared Rural Network (SRN) will be aiming to improve the 4G coverage around the county which will allow residents, businesses and visitors a chance to prosper with better internet connection, as well as providing a lifeline to emergency services and improving socialisation.
The Shared Rural Network is a partnership between a number of mobile network operators and initiatives from the UK Government.
Alongside the Carmarthenshire SRN, there is also a project in Pembrokeshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot as part of the Swansea Bay City Deal’s digital infrastructure programme.
It comes as the demand for faster internet speeds and better connectivity continues to grow, and more and more people become reliant on digital infrastructure for work and everyday life, but the urban-rural digital divide remains a challenge across Carmarthenshire.
There are 26 planned sites for Carmarthenshire to have the relevant masts built, with 14 already having planning permission and are set to be built in the first half of 2024. Two of the sites are in areas that currently have no 4G coverage at all.
Carmarthenshire County Council has said that the environmental impact has been carefully considered and mobile operators will be sharing masts, moving away from the traditional mast per operator to keep the carbon footprint to a minimum in the area and allowing people on all networks to benefit.
Cllr Hazel Evans, the council’s cabinet member for regeneration, leisure, culture and tourism, said: “This is a welcomed step for Carmarthenshire, at a time when becoming digitally equipped has never been so important.
“As a society, our use of the internet is continuously increasing, so having the right infrastructure in place to allow rural communities to thrive both economically and socially is a must. I am confident that these plans will safeguard the future connectivity of the county and strengthen our position across our key industry sectors.”
Cornerstone is in charge of getting planning permission and building the new sites. Director of property and estates and general counsel for Cornerstone, Belinda Fawcett, said: “As part of the UK Government’s multi-million-pound Shared Rural Network project we continue to develop our network of base stations to ensure the infrastructure needed by the mobile operators to improve connectivity in rural areas is available.
“Carmarthenshire Council has worked closely with us and provided essential feedback that has allowed us to understand local concerns and address these in the initial stages of our proposals.”
A number of existing sites will be upgraded alongside the new sites, to allow for shared hosting and seven more new sites will be put forward for the planning process in 2024. It is expected that on completion, there will be a 99 per cent uplift of mobile coverage in the county.