The UK's £1bn Shared Rural Network programme, aiming for 95% 4G coverage by 2025, risks delay due to pandemic, local planning issues, and rising costs.

A £1bn UK government plan to boost rural mobile coverage is falling behind schedule as costs rise, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The Shared Rural Network programme, which aims to bring 95% 4G mobile coverage to the UK by 2025, is at risk of missing its target due to the pandemic, local planning challenges for mobile masts, and increasing costs driven by high inflation. The programme is funded equally by the government and mobile operators.

February 21, 2024
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