Original article ISPreview UK:
The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency, which oversees their gigabit-capable broadband and mobile network expansion programmes, has just published three new studies that examine the wellbeing and social benefits of the 4G Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, as well as the benefits and challenges of 4G mobile in rural Scotland, and finally some additionality research for mobile suppliers.
Just for some context. The industry-led £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project recently achieved its first target of extending geographic 4G mobile (mobile broadband) coverage to 95% of the UK (here). The scheme is currently working to tackle some remaining “notspots” of coverage in particularly remote parts of the UK.
In addition, the Scottish Government (SG) previously completed their £28.75m 4G Infill Programme (S4GI) in 2024 (here), which delivered 4G network infrastructure and services across 55 mobile “notspots” in remote rural and island parts of Scotland. The three new studies that have just been published appear to key into the impacts of those schemes and the wider issues of such network coverage.
BDUK’s Three New Mobile Coverage Studies
1. Mobile Supplier Additionality Research
An investigation into the relationship between the number of available mobile networks in a location and the resulting benefits of mobile connectivity.
2. Shared Rural Network Wellbeing Survey
The results of a wellbeing and social benefits survey conducted with beneficiaries of the Shared Rural Network programme. Included in this evaluation, a survey of 1,285 residents of households and businesses which will benefit from the SRN (in locations where enhanced mobile broadband connectivity is being provided by the SRN programme).
3. The Benefits and Challenges of 4G Connectivity in Rural Scotland
A qualitative exploration of the benefits and disbenefits of mobile connectivity and the required infrastructure in rural areas. It also includes a literature review into the benefits of connectivity in rural areas, with a focus on Scottish National Parks.
The first study into mobile supplier additionality is quite a basic high-level one that’s probably best skipped, although it does reach an interesting conclusion or two: “The key finding emerging from this research is that most tangible benefits associated with improved mobile connectivity in rural communities are realised once a single mobile network operator provides coverage“.
Extending coverage to include additional operators, says the report, does offer further benefits, but these are “generally incremental and primarily relate to qualitative factors” (i.e. enhanced network resilience, improved reliability during emergencies, and greater user choice). The study then notes that a “lack of communication by network operators” post-deployment often means that local consumers and businesses are totally unaware of the improvements, which hampers their ability to benefit.
The second study into the wellbeing and social benefits of the SRN programme reflects a survey of 1,247 residents and 38 businesses, which is worth a read and reveals a wide variety of findings. For example, 91% of participants reported having a fixed internet connection at their address, 44% said they use mobile data at least once a day indoors and 36% at an outdoor space at their address.
Participants were also asked how often they use their mobile data instead of their fixed broadband connection when at their address – 74% reported ‘seldom’ or ‘never’ using their mobile data instead of their fixed connection (where they have the option of using mobile or fixed connection, for example in their home), while 10% said they ‘always’ or ‘usually’ do so.
Mobile data usage when out and about is more prevalent, with 58% reporting using mobile data at least once a day. About half of participants (53%) said they ‘always’, ‘almost always’ or ‘usually’ use mobile data instead of a fixed connection or public Wi-Fi, while 22% ‘seldom’ or ‘never’ do. However, 39% of participants consider their mobile phone internet connection to still be poor – with 15% of them stating that it is ‘very poor.’
The third study, which examined the benefits and challenges of 4G connectivity in rural parts of Scotland, reflects more of a basic high level summary and found six key benefits from such deployments.
Six Benefits of 4G for Rural Scotland
- Public safety: access to 4G connectivity was likely to increase the sense of safety felt by visitors in remote areas, but there were mixed views on the extent to which this could translate into actual safety benefits. Whilst connectivity could enable better access to public safety mechanisms e.g. navigation programmes or calling for help, respondents highlighted that this could result in visitors underestimating the risks of undertaking activities in these areas.
- Tackling rural crime: mobile connectivity could be used for surveillance and other methods to address rural crimes such as fly tipping.
- Public information and education: improved connectivity could provide visitors with up-to date information through the use of QR codes or apps, which could also provide historical and cultural information about the area. This was felt to also have a conservational benefit, with visitors deemed more likely to take care of their surroundings if they have a certain level of knowledge. It could also be used for visitor reporting, such as sightings of certain plant of animal species to support biodiversity monitoring, or reporting maintenance issues to allow for this to be addressed more quickly.
- Visitor experience: a lack of connectivity could result in practical issues such as an ability for visitors to pay for facilities such as parking, impacting the visitor experience and income generation. Improved connectivity was also thought to have potential for additional income generation through contactless donation points. However, several respondents expressed concern that 4G would negatively impact visitor experience, with a lack of connectivity being part of the appeal of remote areas as well as the visual impact of the physical infrastructure.
- Communication: constant, reliable communication was seen as a benefit for managing visitor flow in National Parks, as well as from a safety perspective. This could support a more sustainable approach to tourism.
- Environmental monitoring and management: participants noted multiple uses for 4G, one of which was virtual fences. These could control the movements of animals such as cattle, preventing overgrazing and reducing the need for physical fences and labour in moving herds otherwise. Connectivity was also seen as beneficial for remote environmental monitoring, including monitoring of water quality, flood management, and sources of ammonia run-off. However, there were concerns about overreliance on remote monitoring, as well as the environmental impact of building and maintaining 4G infrastructure. Overall, it was felt the environmental monitoring benefits were insufficient to warrant the installation of infrastructure in the local area.
On the flip side, the same research also identified a number of challenges relating to the delivery of 4G in remote areas in Scotland, such as with a lack of clarity around the purpose of the programme and a lack of adherence to planning guidance (i.e. the need to provide more details and justifications in planning applications).
The research also discovered that there had been a lack of consultation with local communities who often had a greater understanding of the areas directly affected by the programme, which might have resulted in better mast placement etc. Finally, the study identified a concern that 4G was not the most appropriate solution in these areas, which instead recommends undertaking an exploration into the use of “alternative technologies” (e.g. LEO broadband satellites like Starlink).
However, it should be said that alternatives, such as satellite solutions, are often quite bulky and require access to a decent power supply, which means that they’re often only suitable for very particular use cases in remote areas (e.g. automatic number plate recognition to identify and store information on vehicles, such as for use by the police or other commercial services [parking control]).
