Scottish Government agrees plans to boost mobile coverage

A plan to increase and improve mobile coverage in Scotland has been agreed with mobile operators, Cabinet Secretary for Connectivity Fergus Ewing has announced.

The plan will see the Scottish Government work with the industry and other partners to maximise commercial investment in 4G mobile in Scotland, and ultimately, to support 5G-ready infrastructure across the country.

This will help to ensure the Scottish Government uses its powers to guarantee people benefit from better mobile coverage, even though the primary responsibility lies with the UK Government.

Farmers and rural businesses in Scotland will welcome the announcement, as studies have shown rural parts of the country have some of the worst mobile coverage in the UK, with many villages and countryside settlements receiving extremely poor signals.

Mr Ewing said: "Ensuring high quality digital connectivity for people across Scotland is a priority for the Scottish Government.

"That is why we are doing everything we can to improve the case for investment in Scotland, despite this being the responsibility of the UK Government.

"We have set out an ambition for the availability of world class digital connectivity across the country, and we recognise that improved mobile connectivity is an integral part of delivering that ambition.

"We have been working closely with the UK mobile network operators, and they have demonstrated a clear commitment to maximising coverage.

"Already significant progress is being made towards meeting 4G coverage obligations, but we collectively recognise that coverage gaps will still remain in some of the most rural and remote areas.

"We will identify where those gaps will be after the commercial rollout, and together with the industry will jointly design technology solutions and business models that will allow services to be delivered by operators in a sustainable way.”

Although mobile connectivity is a matter reserved for the UK Government, the Scottish Government will use the powers it has to take forward a series of actions, with tangible steps alongside public sector partners to support its ambition.

These will aim to take costs out of operators’ business models in non-commercial areas and will range from interventions such as business rates relief through to more direct interventions, such as investing in the construction of new or enhanced infrastructure.

Operators will help design and shape these interventions in order to make them as effective as possible.