An Open RAN mini-mast has brought Vodafone 4G signal to a bucolic corner of Devon, a hamlet that's also a gateway to Dartmoor National Park. In the middle of Dartmoor National Park in Devon, sits Postbridge. As well as containing some fascinating exhibits, displays and information about the national park, the Visitor Centre is now also home to the latest ‘small cell’ Open RAN technology. A clever and discreet little box – about the size of a shoe box – is now delivering strong and reliable 4G coverage to Vodafone customers who work at or visit the centre, as well as those living in this beautiful corner of rural Devon.
The clever boxes use a broadband line for the necessary backhaul connection back to the main core network. As they are small and light, they can be placed on buildings across rural communities to deliver the necessary coverage. Vodafone was the first UK mobile operator to switch on a live OpenRAN site in August 2020. Since then, the technology has been installed on everything from rural church bell towers and sides of shops in historic high streets to the chimney stack of a village pub.
The Postbridge installation is part of Vodafone’s commitment to bring stronger and more reliable 4G coverage to rural and remote UK communities. Other activities include involvement in the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme. This £1bn joint initiative between Government and the UK’s four mobile network operators uses mast sharing on existing sites in rural areas, while also building new shared masts to connect areas that currently have no coverage at all. As a result, over 400 rural locations across the UK are now receiving reliable Vodafone 4G through the SRN programme.