Shared Rural Network (SRN)
The Shared Rural Network is a partnership between the UK government and mobile network operators. It aims to improve mobile coverage in rural areas across the UK. The programme reached its target of delivering to 95% of UK landmass a year ahead of schedule.
It is underpinned by a legally binding coverage commitment from each operator to have reached at least 90 per cent, assessed in 2026.
Northern Ireland benefits from the industry funded Partial Not Spot (PNS) coverage improvements which Ofcom confirmed as completed by 30 June 2024.
New digital infrastructure
The £532 million investment by mobile network operators is supported with more than £500 million of government funding to eliminate ‘total not-spots’ - that is, hard-to-reach areas where there is currently no coverage from any operator. This will provide new digital infrastructure in total not spot areas not commercially viable for the operators. The Shared Rural Network will also provide coverage to 280,000 premises and 16,000km of roads across the UK.
The network will lead to increases in coverage in some areas by more than a third, with the biggest coverage improvements in rural parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
It means all four mobile network operators delivered 95 per cent combined coverage across the whole of the UK by the end of 2025 and consumers can rely on their own provider’s network wherever they are.
Progress of SRN is measured by Ofcom, who announced that the SRN programme has significantly reduced the scale of partial not spots (PNS) and consequently increased the areas where all MNOs provide coverage.
Further detail is available in Ofcom’s Shared Rural Network Coverage Obligations document and in the following press release on the GOV.UK website regarding rural 4G masts: GOV.UK Press Release – 150 rural 4G masts now live so holidaymakers can switch off without being cut off.
For more information go to the Shared Rural Network website.