EE UK Complete Scotland 4G Mobile Infill Rollout with New Masts

Mobile operator EE has successfully installed two new 4G mobile (mobile broadband) masts at Out Skerries and Foula on two of the UK’s most remote inhabited islands. This is also important because they mark the completion of the operator’s rollout under Scotland’s £28.75m 4G Infill programme (S4GI).

The S4GI programme, which is also being supported by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) and WHP Telecoms, is working to extend 4G infrastructure and coverage for up to 55 mobile “notspots” (or areas with extremely weak coverage) across rural and remote parts of Scotland. But most of the new masts currently only provide a service from EE, while around 15 also offer live services to consumers via O2 (VMO2) and Vodafone.

Just to be clear. WHP Telecoms is the main infrastructure provider for the S4GI programme, but they only progressed proposed sites to delivery once they met three key criteria, including the securing of planning permission, wayleave (access) agreements from landowners and a commitment from at least one mobile operator to providing 4G mobile services from that site.

EE currently claims to have the strongest 4G coverage of Scotland’s landmass at 76.10%, beating rivals at O2, Vodafone and Three UK. The operator’s 4G population coverage also stands at 99.56% of Scotland.

Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group, said:

“Reliable 4G connectivity can transform the everyday lives of people in rural communities, especially those living in some of the UK’s most isolated areas. These new 4G sites provide residents with fast and reliable access to online services like banking, healthcare, and shopping, while empowering rural Scottish businesses to take mobile payments and offer new digital experiences. Together with the Scottish Government and our industry partners, we are helping close the UK’s digital divide and deliver the connectivity boost countryside communities can rely on.”

Scottish Government Innovation Minister, Richard Lochhead, said:

“Thanks to our £28.75 million S4GI programme we’ve brought 4G to these Shetland islands, showing our commitment to providing future-proofed connectivity to rural and island communities.

These phone masts mean residents, businesses and visitors in these communities can work, communicate and access services more efficiently. This is about creating opportunities for businesses, improving daily life and ensuring no one – even the hardest to reach – is left behind in the digital era.”

The reality is that some of the new mast sites may have been deemed economically unviable for all operators (other than EE) to take an interest in providing a service from them (e.g. Out Skerries is an island of just 70 inhabitants). Similarly, in a few other areas, rival operators might have felt as if the proposed sites wouldn’t have made enough of a difference to their existing coverage to warrant providing a service via the new sites.

However, it’s worth noting that the expansion of 4G and 5G mobile coverage in Scotland will not stop once the S4GI programme comes to an end. The UK government’s wider and industry-led £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project is separately working to extend geographic 4G mobile coverage to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025 (91% in Scotland) via a mix of mast sharing and new mast builds.