29 Jun 2021

Consultation launched to identify infrastructure which can be utilised in UK’s Shared Rural Network

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has today launched a new consultation to identify any existing infrastructure that may be used to support its investment in the Shared Rural Network. The infrastructure identified will be in areas where investment is used to reduce “Total Not Spots” (TNS)—those hard-to-reach areas where there is currently no coverage from any operator.

This could be through ownership of specific telecommunications infrastructure or where there are plans to build such infrastructure, shown in the map below.

The Shared Rural Network (SRN) is a £1 billion government deal with the UK’s four Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, that will see both public and private investment in a network of new and existing phone masts closing not-spots and levelling up connectivity across every corner of the UK. It will bring an extra 280,000 premises and an additional 16,000 km of UK roads in range of a 4G signal - increasing total geographic 4G coverage to 95 per cent of the UK by the end of 2025.

SRN: UK Coverage Forecast Improvements in the UK

As a result of the Shared Rural Network, 4G in all four home nations of the UK coverage will increase as follows:

	4G Coverage from at least one MNO pre-SRN	4G Coverage from at least one MNO by the end of programme	4G coverage from all MNOs pre-SRN	4G coverage from all MNOs by the end of the programme
Overall	91%	95%	69%	84%
England	97%	98%	84%	90%
Scotland	81%	91%	44%	74%
Wales	90%	95%	60%	80%
Northern Ireland	97%	98%	79%	85%

SRN: Scotland Coverage Forecast Improvements

Scotland :

	Coverage from all MNOs		Coverage from at least one MNO
Electoral Region	Pre-SRN	Forecast post-SRN	Pre-SRN	Forecast post-SRN
Central Scotland	87%	92%	99%	99%
Highlands and Islands	26%	68%	73%	91%
Lothian	88%	94%	99%	99%
Mid Scotland and Fife	53%	78%	80%	93%
North East Scotland	59%	79%	86%	94%
South Scotland	55%	81%	88%	97%
West Scotland	59%	82%	91%	98%

SRN: Wales Forecast Coverage Improvements

Wales

	Coverage from all MNOs		Coverage from at least one MNO
Senedd Region	Pre-SRN	Forecast post-SRN	Pre-SRN	Forecast post-SRN
Mid and West Wales	51%	78%	86%	97%
North Wales	63%	83%	93%	98%
South Wales Central	82%	90%	98%	99%
South Wales East	71%	89%	95%	99%
South Wales West	79%	88%	97%	99%

SRN: Northern Ireland Coverage Forecast Improvements

Northern Ireland

	Coverage from all MNOs		Coverage from at least one MNO
Region (Local Authority)	Pre-SRN	Forecast post-SRN	Pre-SRN	Forecast post-SRN
Antrim and Newtownabbey	86%	94%	99%	99%
Ards and North Down	85%	99%	99%	99%
Armagh City, Banbridge and Cra	82%	93%	99%	99%
Causeway Coast and Glens	77%	87%	96%	99%
Derry City and Strabane	61%	76%	92%	97%
Fermanagh and Omagh	71%	79%	96%	98%
Lisburn and Castlereagh	88%	96%	99%	99%
Mid Ulster	73%	87%	99%	99%
Mid and East Antrim	81%	88%	98%	98%
Newry, Mourne and Down	67%	80%	94%	98%

SRN: England Coverage Forecast Improvements

England

	Coverage from all MNOs		Coverage from at least one MNO
Region	Pre-SRN	Forecast post-SRN	Pre-SRN	Forecast post-SRN
East Midlands	90%	94%	99%	99%
East of England	90%	93%	99%	99%
North East	68%	86%	91%	98%
North West	73%	88%	94%	98%
South East	85%	91%	99%	99%
South West	75%	87%	97%	99%
West Midlands	78%	92%	99%	99%
Yorkshire and The Humber	81%	90%	95%	99%

Find out more about the consultation here. The deadline for submission is 27 July 2021.

Project Gigabit update: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland set to benefit

The UK government has also announced its next steps in the £5 billion Project Gigabit programme. Designed to deploy “Outside In” with the hard to reach and rural areas upgrading to gigabit-capable broadband speeds via public investment, up to 234,000 hard-to-reach Welsh homes and businesses have been announced for deployment. They include rural towns and villages in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, the Isle of Anglesey, Pembrokeshire and Powys.

The government will set out the timetable for the delivery of these connections once it has agreed the procurement process with the Welsh Government.

Further announcements include an additional £24 million to fund the rollout of gigabit broadband in ten local authority areas in Northern Ireland. The Full Fibre Northern Ireland (FFNI) scheme will see 969 hospitals, GP surgeries, ambulance and fire stations, community and leisure centres, council offices and other public buildings connected to gigabit-capable networks.

For Scotland, the Scottish Government has confirmed it can continue to provide up to £5,000 extra funding to top-up the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. This is in addition to the £1,500 available to rural homes and £3,500 available to rural small to medium-sized businesses. Work continues by the UK and Scottish Governments on gigabit deployment through their Reaching 100% (R100) programme. The scope of the final R100 contract will be confirmed in the Summer.

Sophie Greaves

Head of Telecoms and Spectrum Policy, techUK

Tales Gaspar

Programme Manager, UK SPF and Satellite, techUK

Matthew Wild

Programme Assistant - Markets, techUK

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