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The official deadline set for this target by Ofcom is June 2024
EE has announced today that they have completed the first phase of the Shared Rural Network (SRN), six months ahead of schedule.
To complete the first phase of the project, operators had to commit to getting rid of coverage ‘partial not-spots’ by extending the reach of their 4G networks. ‘Partial not-spots’ is defined as areas that receive coverage from at least one operator, but not all of them.
The SRN aims to deploy 4G coverage to 95% of the UK by 2025. The £1 billion scheme is a partnership between the UK’s four mobile operators (EE, Three, Vodafone, and Virgin Media O2), and is funded by £532 million from the operators themselves and £500 million from the UK government.
The second phase of the SRN, the deadline of which is 2027, involves the development of new shared masts to bring 4G coverage to ‘total not-spots’ with no existing service.
“Today is another major milestone in our ongoing work to help close the UK’s digital divide. From farmers in Northern Ireland and local businesses in the Scottish Highlands, to tourists in the Lake District or Eryri National Park, EE is delivering the reliable mobile connectivity Britain’s rural communities need,” said Greg McCall, EE’s Chief Networks Officer in a press release.
Following EE#s SRN upgrades, EE’s 4G geographic coverage in each individual nation now stands at: England (94%), Northern Ireland (89%), Scotland (77%), and Wales (86%). This means EE’s network now covers 88% of the UK’s landmass, including 99% of the population.
This is an excellent achievement from EE, with the company press release explaining that they have increase their 4G coverage by 10,000 square kilometres over the last five years. However, EE being the first operator to complete their commitments to the SRN’s first phase should not come as a huge surprise. considering that they are the UK’s largest mobile operator and could meet a significant portion of their commitments by upgrading existing sites. Their rivals, by contrast, have needed to deploy a far greater number of sites from scratch.
In fact, in October, the Telegraph reported that Vodafone, Three UK, and Virgin Media O2 were set to miss their June, having requested that the UK government grant an extension of up to two years to complete the SRN. The report noted specifically that Three and Vodafone are “miles behind” as a result of their potential merger, which the operators have both denied.
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