4th July 2019 End of the not spot

Ofcom maintains that in more than a fifth of the country, it’s not possible to make a voice call on all four networks. However, in a move to improve patchy signals in the countryside, BT, O2, Three and Vodafone are in talks to create a new barter system to allow operators to share masts more easily.

To gain access to a rural site owned by a rival, an operator would need to let the competition install their signalling equipment on one of its masts. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, “Mobile bosses hope that the system would allow them to invest more efficiently and lift coverage towards the Government’s 95 per cent target without the need for more draconian regulations. Over time the proportion of masts occupied by all four networks would increase, allowing some existing sites to be shut down, delivering cost savings.”

In addition, in not-spot areas with no 4G coverage at all, the operators are discussing not only sharing mast infrastructure but also signalling equipment. Such an “active sharing” partnership would cut costs in the most sparsely populated and rugged countryside by using the same kit to deliver four signals according to the article. Some 91 per cent of the UK has a good 4G mobile signal from at least one operator, according to Ofcom figures from December 2018.

In the past, networks have been reluctant to fund and invest in deploying networks in rural areas for commercial reasons, so this new two-pronged attack may well find a cost-effective solution amid a rising threat of costly new regulations as they prepare for heavy investment in 5G networks.