Farmers Bemoan Poor UK Rural Mobile and Broadband Connectivity

The National Farmers Union has published the results from its latest online and telephone based survey of 812 members, which found that just 16% of farmers had access to “superfast broadband” (24Mbps+) speeds (up from 4% in 2015) and only 17% have a “reliable” outdoor mobile signal. But the situation has improved.

The news that farmers, which tend to work in some of the United Kingdom’s most sparse and remote rural areas, suffer from slow broadband and weak mobile signals shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Many of the locations where farmers operate are often last on the list for upgrades due to the economic challenges of building expensive networks to cater for so few users over a wide area.

At present nearly 96% of premises can access a “superfast broadband” connection, which is thanks in no small part to the state aid funded Broadband Delivery UK programme. Meanwhile Ofcom’s recent Connected Nations 2018 report found that the outdoor geographic coverage of 4G services across the UK is still painfully low at 66% (up from 43%) from all four mobile operators or 91% from at least one operator (EE).

The coverage of both mobile and broadband services has improved a lot over the past few years but this won’t mean much to those who have been left waiting at the end of a long line for years.

Key Findings from the NFU Survey

Broadband

* 42% have a download speed of 2Mbps or less.
* 16% get superfast speeds of 24Mbps+.
* 73% access the internet via copper wire.
* 8% access the internet via Satellite.
* 45% believe their current speed is not fast enough for their business needs.
* 37% identify slow speeds as a barrier to future use of digital technology.
* 96% can get online via mobile or computing devices.
* 89% agree broadband is an essential tool for their business.

Mobile

* 19% have a reliable indoor signal in all locations.
* 17% have a reliable outdoor signal in all locations.
* 93% agree a reliable mobile signal is important for their business.
* 38% thought the signal they receive is sufficient for their business.
* 97% of farmers own a mobile phone.
* 83% own a Smartphone with access to 4G.

At this point it’s worth remembering that Britain’s food and farming sector is currently worth £113 billion to the UK economy, employing 3.9 million people, and could benefit from digital upgrades (more efficient farming methods etc.). But those can only come if they’re able to access decent connectivity.

Stuart Roberts, NFU Vice President, said:

“It’s vital that government ensures rural businesses have access to the same reliable broadband and mobile connectivity as urban businesses so they can remain productive, competitive and innovative.

The benefits that farmers receive from applying full connectivity are many; from optimising the use of inputs to decreasing farm costs and improving productivity as a result.

With the industry facing so much uncertainty, it is clear that farmers need as many tools as possible to maintain business resilience, and having access to digital connectivity is paramount if they are to compete with our international neighbours in the global market.

After all, it can be much easier for companies and organisations located in towns and cities to relocate to access different technologies. But this simply isn’t possible for a farm or rural business – connectivity needs to be brought to them.

Decent telecommunication and 4G coverage is also essential for health and safety with farmers often working long hours alone in isolated areas. Too often we see the consequences of farming’s poor safety record. It should be a given that if an accident happens, farmers have access to reliable mobile coverage in all farm locations to call for help.”

The good news is that the roll-out of faster connectivity services hasn’t stopped. For example, the BDUK project hopes to extend the coverage of “superfast broadband” to around 98% by the end of 2020 and after that the new 10Mbps+ Universal Service Obligation (USO) may help to fill in some of the gaps (here). As a result it may be a case of many farmers simply needing to upgrade (i.e. awareness of the new services).

Similarly Ofcom’s plan to auction the 700MHz band to mobile operators this year, which could be used for 4G and 5G services, will come attached to a new coverage obligation (here). This should extend outdoor data coverage to at least 90% of the UK’s entire land area and provide coverage from at least 500 new mobile mast stations in rural areas, among other things.

At the same time it’s worth remembering that EE alone are already working to extend the geographic reach of their 4G network to 95% by the end of December 2020, although it remains to be seen if that is actually achieved given some of the known challenges with reaching remote locations (power supply, planning permission, rugged terrain, network capacity provision etc.).

On top of that the Government has pledged to ensure “nationwide” coverage of Gigabit capable “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband ISP networks by 2033 and in last year’s budget they committed a further £200m to that, which has been targeted to deliver key fibre optic links into rural areas. “As an industry, we will hold the government to that promise of ensuring the very best levels of digital connectivity across rural Britain,” said Stuart.