A collaboration between operators O2 UK (VMO2) and Vodafone, the Scottish Government’s £28.75m 4G Infill Programme (S4GI) and the UK government’s £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project has enabled two rural Scottish communities – Traquair (Peeblesshire) and Balmacara (Ross-shire) – to be covered by a 4G signal.
Just to recap. The industry-led SRN programme aims to extend UK geographic 4G mobile coverage to 95% by the end of 2025 (91% in Scotland) via a mix of mast sharing and new deployments. By comparison, the S4GI holds a separate, but related, goal of extending 4G infrastructure and services in up to 55 mobile “notspots” across rural and remote parts of Scotland.
The announcement of the new collaboration is a bit vague, but we assume the different projects have simply worked together to rationalise their respective deployments and avoid duplication. Upgrade works have already been completed at a mobile site in Traquair and a new mast has been built at Balmacara – both of which now host 4G network equipment from O2 and Vodafone.
The latest rollout is technically part of a commitment to the SRN programme, although it follows similar upgrades at other sites, such as New Luce (Dumfries and Galloway) and Ettrick (Scottish Borders), where both O2 and Vodafone have recently boosted coverage in partnership with the Scottish Government’s S4GI programme (supported by WHP Telecoms and Scottish Futures Trust).
Ivan McKee MSP, Business Minister, said:
“This is great news and will be welcomed by the local communities. Our successful S4GI programme continues to deliver life-changing mobile connectivity to 55 rural and island communities that wouldn’t otherwise get access to this vital service. Thanks to the infrastructure deployed by our S4GI programme, Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 are now able to provide improved connectivity to local residents, businesses and visitors in these communities, enhancing the way they work, communicate and access public services.”
It’s worth noting that almost all of the new S4GI sites (except Ettrick) have, until now, only been offering a 4G service via EE’s network. Most of the remaining S4GI sites will continue to be dominated by EE’s service, and that specific programme looks as if it will reach completion sometime this spring.