O2 Switch On First Publicly Funded UK 4G Mobile Mast for Total Not Spot Areas

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today marked an important milestone by switching on the UK’s first publicly funded “Total Not Spot” (TNS) 4G (mobile broadband) mast site on South Uist in Scotland, which forms part of the £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme and its efforts to extend mobile coverage into remote rural areas.

The SRN – supported by £501m of public funding and £532m from operators – involves both the reciprocal sharing of existing masts in certain areas and the demand-led building and sharing of new masts in others between the operators (MNO). The target is to extend geographic 4G coverage (aggregate) to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025, which falls to 84% when only considering the areas where you’ll be able to take 4G from all providers.

Most of the early work on the SRN has typically involved private investment from the main mobile network operators, although over the past year we’ve also seen government-funded mast upgrades taking place in other parts of the UK (examples here, here and here). But the latest development reflects the first publicly funded SRN Total Not Spot site to be switched on, which kicks off the second phase of the roll-out programme.

Just for some context. The SRN includes two key targets. The first involves the delivery of industry funded coverage improvements in Partial Not-Spot (PNS) areas (i.e. areas that receive coverage from at least one operator, but not all), which Ofcom says has already extended 4G to cover 88% of the UK’s landmass (here).

The second target involves tackling Total Not-Spot (TNS) areas by early 2027. Just to be clear, Ofcom’s licence obligations commit each individual operator to increase its 4G coverage to 88% of the UK’s landmass by June 2024 – rising to 90% by January 2027 – with these individual obligations supporting the overall target of 95% by December 2025.

The mast on South Uist, which all operators can harness, is thus part of that second phase of work (TNS) and will offer “reliable 4G and broadband” to people in the villages of Balivanich, Grimsay, Liniclate, Benbecula, The Hebridean Way and more than 30km of the A865 for the first time.

Chris Bryant, UK Telecoms Minister, said:

“For too long, island communities in Scotland have struggled to get online while on the go. This milestone for the Shared Rural Network means vast swathes of Uist are now covered by 4G for the first time, boosting productivity for local businesses and safety for those in remote areas.

South Uist is the first location to benefit from this new phase of the programme, which targets areas with no 4G coverage at all. We will continue to work with the mobile network operators to maximise the benefits of this rollout for local communities while preserving areas of natural beauty.”

Jeanie York, CTO of VMO2, said:

“We are extremely proud to continue our industry-leading work which is bringing reliable mobile coverage to rural communities across the UK for the very first time. This new site in South Uist, which will bring mobile signal to local residents, major roads and visitor attractions which were previously disconnected, illustrates how the total not spot programme can transform lives when we invest in the right locations. Targeted investment like this will provide the greatest benefit to consumers, help close the rural/urban divide and deliver growth across the country.”

O2 added that they faced “significant challenges” building the remote site, with bad weather conditions making delivery and access to the island exceptionally difficult. But the operator says they worked closely with build partner, WHP Telecoms, to overcome these challenges and deliver the new site in just six weeks.

The government and the UK’s four mobile network operators ultimately aim for the SRN to provide coverage to an additional 280,000 premises and 16,000km of the UK’s roads.