The remote Inner Hebrides based Isle of Coll, which is home to a tiny population of around 200 people, is about to become Scotland’s first island to get a 4G (LTE) mobile network thanks to a £165,000 community project (Demonstrating Digital Programme) funded by the Scottish Government.
The project, which is working in partnership with the community run organisation Development Coll (owns the mast and handles annual running costs) and mobile operator Vodafone (provides the mobile service), has recently started its construction phase by building a new “rock-anchored” 15m high lattice mast at Cnocan Na Ban (positioned in the middle of the island).
Normally such services would not be economically viable, but on this occasion almost everybody seems to be chipping in. For example, the local landowner has agreed to allow the mast site free of rent and Vodafone are also providing their own mobile equipment for free, while the prime beneficiaries of the mobile service (NHS Argyll & Bute, Scottish Fire and Rescue, Project Trust and Argyll and Bute Council) have agreed to cover the annual running costs.
Scottish Government Statement
“This project is important as the Scottish Government is committed to achieving improved mobile coverage across Scotland. Whilst the project will extend mobile phone coverage to the island for the first time it will also inform and test an alternative model of community ownership of a mobile mast in an area not previously seen as commercially viable by mobile operators – which is the main focus of the demonstrating digital programme by testing new technologies and business models to accelerate our ambition to be a world class digital nation by 2020.”
After a little digging ISPreview.co.uk discovered that the service will be supported by the installation of a new Microwave (radio) link on Glengorm (Isle of Mull), which will be aligned to a similar transceiver on Coll. The Isle of Mull is of course benefitting from BT’s work to lay a new fibre optic cable in the region.
The new service is expected to go live at the end of August 2014 and if successful then the same approach could be applied to other remote communities.
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