Labour is stepping in to plug the gaps in Scotland’s lagging mobile internet network coverage across coastal and rural communities.
Thirteen phone towers formerly accessible to only EE customers and emergency service calls will now be supercharged with an update that will support all four of the UK’s major network providers.
According to Ofcom, you can stream 4K video to your phone thanks to super fast 5G network across 62 per cent of the UK mainland on at least one network, but you still can’t reach the 4G network in the far reaches of the national network.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray promises a “significant boost to the mobile connectivity” in those areas, which include Argyle & Bute, Ayrshire and Clydesdale & Tweeddale in the Scottish borders.
Labour is stepping in to plug the gaps in Scotland’s lagging mobile internet network coverage across coastal and rural communities
GB News
He said: "This significant mobile connectivity boost, funded by the UK Government, will help people in some of Scotland's most rural communities.
“Improving digital connectivity - including in our most remote communities - is a key part of the UK Government's Plan for Change - it is vital to delivering jobs and economic growth.”
The cumulative area of additional coverage has been equated to “thousands of football pitches” and the Government said the updated masts will go a long way to support Scottish tourism and further improvements are planned into early 2027.
The west coast town of Ayr is one of the recipients of the supercharged mast updates, which will be a welcome addition to the locals according to one employee of a local mobile phone business.
Amir Sohail, an employee at one of Ayr’s many mobile phone stores, says 90 per cent of his customers are complaining about phone service.
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Thirteen phone towers formerly accessible to only EE customers and emergency service calls will now be supercharged with an update that will support all four of the UK’s major network providers
GB News
The new mast “will be good for everyone,” he told GB News.
“Almost 90 per cent of our customers always come to us because they’re having a problem speaking and there’s so much distortion on the line as well,” he added.
“There’s so much pressure on the antennas, so if they stall a new antenna it will be easier for everyone and it’ll very convenient.”
On the street, Ayr resident Peter Cameron Aird told GB News that his intruder alarm is connected to Virgin Media’s network and it often loses connection during the night.
“The whole network goes down when they connect in something else,” he said, “and at around 3 o’clock in the morning my intruder alarm goes off and wakes me up and it really bugs me!”
Two students stopped to chat and had different experiences, being on O2 and EE, the latter being locally known for having significantly better connection.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray promises a 'significant boost to the mobile connectivity' in those areas, which include Argyle & Bute, Ayrshire and Clydesdale & Tweeddale in the Scottish border
GB News
While phone call reception was generally okay for both, reliable mobile data is another story: “It’s just the data…it’s just very very slow.”
Next March, the first telephone call in history will celebrate its 150th anniversary of Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell muttering the immortal words: “Watson, come here - I want you.”
While technology has come on leaps and bounds, the divergence of devices has brought new challenges to updating the UK network at the same rate as technological advancement.
The Government is not the first to set its sights on servicing the whole UK mainland with 4G and while it is undeniably a finish line still worth crossing, rural communities will then have to look to our cities several years into widespread 5G coverage and begin the wait all over again.
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