Poor mobile phone coverage will be a thing of the past.
The Government’s £1 billion deal with the mobile phone industry is great news for people in rural areas in Faversham and Mid Kent who struggle to get mobile data.
The deal involves an agreement for mast sharing between mobile phone companies and new investment in mobile infrastructure. It will mean people can access 4G signal no matter where they are or which provider they’re with.
Under the proposal, the four main mobile phone operators (EE, O2, Three and Vodaphone) will invest £530 million to open up and share existing masts and infrastructure in areas where there is currently coverage from only one operator – creating a Shared Rural Network.
If the operators meet these conditions, the Government will commit up to £500 million of investment to go even further to eliminate those hard-to-reach areas where there is currently no coverage from any operator.
The Government’s ambition is to reach a formal agreement early next year.
