Mobile coverage in rural parts of Ceredigion has been significantly improved after EE revealed today it has upgraded or built more than 10 masts in the county in the last three years.
The upgrades have been welcomed by Ceredigion MP Ben Lake.
Most of the masts have been built or upgraded by EE as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN)*, a £1 billion initiative to extend 4G connectivity to rural communities, with the aim to cover 95 percent of the UK’s landmass by the end of 2025.
Many of the mast upgrades are located along two of the county’s major roads, the A44 and the A487.
Mobile signal has been boosted along the A44 between Llangurig and Aberystwyth, with mast upgrades in Bwlch Nant yr Arian, Dyffryn Castell and near Pumlumon Fawr.
On the A487, coverage has been improved significantly with new or upgraded masts at Tal-y-bont, Llanfarian and Aberarth.
Other areas seeing new and upgraded coverage are Aberteifi (Cardigan), Llangrannog, Llwyndafydd (near New Quay) and Llangwyryfon.
Responding to the news, Ben Lake, MP for Ceredigion, said:
“Having long pushed for improved mobile connectivity in rural areas, and supported the creation of the Shared Rural Network, I’m pleased to hear about these improvements to coverage in Ceredigion.
“This improved connectivity is vitally important for rural communities like those in Ceredigion. It means more residents, businesses and visitors can make calls and access essential online services while on the go. In rural areas, it can also provide peace of mind that people can make calls in case of emergency.”
To balance the desire for improved mobile connectivity in rural communities with the need to respect the natural landscape, efforts have been made to situate the mobile masts in non-intrusive areas, while providing maximum benefit to the places where people live, work and travel.
These upgrades come at an important time for countryside communities as the UK’s mobile providers retire older 3G – and later 2G – networks. 4G connectivity offers remote communities the biggest and most reliable network of any current mobile technology in the UK, which is why EE has expanded its 4G coverage by more than 10,000 square kilometres in the last five years.
Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group, said: “Ceredigion is famous for its Cardigan Bay coastline and the wild Cambrian Mountains. It’s also one of the most sparsely populated parts of Wales. These new 4G upgrades will not only mean residents will be able to stay connected to the people and things they love most, but businesses and community groups can use our network to offer new services and experiences to the many tourists who visit every year.
“Having upgraded more than 1,600 rural locations so far under the Shared Rural Network programme, EE has gone further than anyone to deliver the far-reaching mobile connectivity that rural communities rely on across the UK.”
Showing 1 reaction