EE has announced that it has greatly improved its 4G coverage in rural North Yorkshire, having built or upgraded over 40 masts in the area over the last two years.
Five recently updated masts have provided 4G connectivity to the villages of Chapel-le-Dale, Rievaulx, Blubberhouses, Danby Wiske, and Terrington, allowing residents, visitors, local businesses, and emergency services to stay connected.
The majority of the masts were built as part of the ongoing Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, a GBP 1 billion initiative to extend 4G coverage to rural areas in the United Kingdom, with the goal of covering 95% of the country’s landmass by the end of 2025. The project involves private and public investment, with infrastructure shared by the UK’s four (potentially three) mobile network operators (MNOs).
Greg McCall, BT’s Chief Networks Officer, confirmed that EE has upgraded over 1,600 rural locations through the SRN, more than any other UK operator.
Expanding Coverage, Enhancing Access
In January of this year, EE became the first of the UK’s four mobile operators (EE, Three, Vodafone, and Virgin Media O2) to finish the first phase of the SRN, six months ahead of schedule. As a result, EE’s networks now cover 88% of the UK landmass and 99% of the population. The project’s second deadline, projected to be 2027, will see mobile operators develop shared masts to bring coverage to areas with no existing coverage, known as ‘total not spots’. These are typically remote, rural, or difficult-to-reach areas where constructing network infrastructure has not been economically viable for individual operators due to the high costs and lower population density.
The initiative is expected to significantly reduce the digital divide by connecting communities that have previously been left out of the digital landscape, thus fostering greater inclusivity and ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to participate in the digital economy.
This phase of the project is a critical step toward achieving nationwide mobile coverage, contributing to broader socio-economic development goals by enhancing access to information, emergency services, and digital services for education, health care, and business in previously unreachable areas.
