Community Helps EE UK Bring 4G Mobile to Rural Village of Penmachno

Telecoms giant EE (BT) has just become the first UK operator to deliver a “reliable” 4G mobile (mobile broadband) signal to around 600 residents in the remote upland Machno valley (Conwy) village of Penmachno in North Wales. The project was strongly supported by the local Bro Machno Community Council, which helped with planning, placement, and local acceptance.

Until now the village of Penmachno had been considered part of the “forgotten” 4% percent of the UK that is without reliable mobile signal from any operator. Due to this, EE claims that some residents have had to travel to nearby villages to make phone calls, while also struggling with organising home deliveries of food and medication; not to mention some difficulties with accessing secure online banking and other digital services etc.

However, this does rather overlook that fixed line FTTC and ADSL based broadband connections are available to the community, albeit often with fairly poor speeds. Nevertheless, EE have now discreetly built a new mobile mast at the edge of a forest on the slopes of the Machno Valley.

The new mast is now said to be providing fast and reliable 4G connectivity to the village, as well as critical signal for the emergency services as part of the Home Office’s Emergency Services Network (ESN).

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

“As part of our work to connect the unconnected, we’re going further and faster than anyone else to ensure every rural community in the UK has the reliable connectivity they need. There is more to do to completely eradicate the UK’s digital divide but our collaboration with the local residents of Penmachno is a shining example of what can be achieved when mobile operators and communities work together to tackle the issue head on.”

Take note that there will be a total of 20,840 new and upgraded sites to facilitate the coverage needed for ESN across Great Britain. This will include the current EE network of 19,795 existing sites which have been updated, as well as the construction of 1,045 new 4G masts (figures correct as of January 2026). Of the 1,045 new masts being built, 753 will be built by EE to support the existing network. The Home Office is also building 292 additional masts, known as the Extended Area Service (EAS). EAS is a critical part of ESN and will supplement EE’s ESN coverage.

Meanwhile, EE states that their investment has seen it expand and strengthen its network in more than 1,800 rural locations across the UK in the last five years, including some of the most remote and hard-to-reach communities – taking its mobile coverage in Wales to record levels, with signals now covering more than 90% of the country’s landmass.