I am delighted to see the announcement of a Shared Rural Network to extend mobile coverage to hard-to-reach rural areas.
I had joined with a number of my MP colleagues representing rural areas to lobby the Government over recent months, and a new deal between the Government and the phone industry will mean that poor mobile coverage in rural areas like Lincolnshire will be a thing of the past.
This is fantastic news for my constituents, and for all those living in rural areas. There are a lot of spots in the rural parts of Lincolnshire where mobile coverage drops out completely, which causes problems for families and businesses alike.
This new deal will mean that 95% of the UK will be covered by good 4G signal by 2025, and I am delighted that our campaign has succeeded. Coupled with the ongoing rollout of superfast broadband, this will go a long way to closing the digital divide that exists between urban and rural areas, and give everyone the chance to access world-class digital infrastructure.
The new plans for all operators to share phone masts to improve UK coverage is a world first. It will mean EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone will invest £530 million in a network of new and existing phone masts they would all share and which any mobile user can access; this would be supported by a £500 million investment from the Government. The final details of the agreement are expected early next year.
