The UK's four mobile operators have confirmed plans to develop shared infrastructure to improve coverage in rural areas. They have asked the government to provide "modest funding" for the project as well as to help streamline the planning process. If the plan is achieved, strict coverage requirements in the upcoming spectrum auction would not be needed, the operators said.
Only 67 percent of the UK landmass receives 4G coverage from all four operators, while about 7 percent of the UK has no 4G coverage from any operator. The operators' plan would take the all-operator geographic coverage to 92 percent, eliminate many spots not covered by operators and cover an additional 3,700 square miles of the country previously without 4G.
In stage one of the Shared Rural Network, the four operators propose to fund and develop a network of infrastructure that they will all share and use. The existing infrastructure of the different operators will be transformed in to a single, shared network asset. This programme of work will "virtually eliminate 'partial not spots'".
Stage two is focused on addressing 'total not spots'. This would involve building or upgrading additional infrastructure sites, to be shared by all the operators, in order to bring 4G coverage to parts of the UK for the first time.
The operators called on the government to accelerate its planning policy reforms of recent years "to put mobile connectivity on a par with other essential services and to make network extension more efficient and more deliverable". The state also needs to provide a "modest level of funding" to enable the additional sites to be built under stage two. These are in areas where operators have already concluded it is uneconomic to roll out a network.
They also want Ofcom to remove the coverage obligations that it is intending to attach to the forthcoming auction of mobile spectrum. The operates claim their shared rural network would deliver a better outcome, with improved coverage from all operators.
The operators said they have already had constructive talks with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Ofcom in recent months on the plans "and look forward to further engagement". The responsible minister Jeremy Wright told the Financial Times he was confident an agreement could be reached.
