The UK government has called for mobile network operators to identify areas that currently do not receive any mobile signal, known as ‘not-spots’ and provide advice on how they could be irradicated.
The government has set aside £150 million of public money for this purpose and mobile phone network and mobile broadband providers are being asked to provide their views on how the money should be spent to help improve the mobile coverage available in the UK.
At present there is a woeful lack of investment in rural fixed-line and mobile broadband services. A simple search of Orange broadband reviews, for example, brings up results that show connectivity in rural areas is poor, if not non-existent. In October 2011, Chancellor George Osborne announced that the money would be spent on improving mobile services for the almost ten percent of businesses and consumers in the UK that currently have little or no mobile coverage in their local area. While the funds will primarily be used to improve the 2G network, which covers voice calls and text messaging services, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have stated that it will try to make sure that any improved infrastructure built will be suitable for upgrade in order to allow 4G mobile broadband networks to be implemented at a later date.
The auctioning of 4G mobile bandwidth is set to take place in late 2012, with industry regulator Ofcom overseeing proceedings. It is believed that mobile operators will start rolling out 4G services in late 2013.
Communications Minister Ed Vaizey has sent out a document to mobile network operators, asking for their views on the location of the UK’s mobile signal ‘not-spots’ and how to go about providing residents of these areas with sufficient coverage. He has given operators thirty days to respond so the government can start the process in Spring 2012, which should mean consumers could start benefitting from improved services as early as next year.
Local authorities will be asked for their views in a document due for publication shortly.