Majority of rural homes can’t access 4G

THE countryside is being left behind with a third of rural households unable to make a mobile phone call indoors and more than half unable to access 4G networks.

A report warns that people in rural England are being prevented from building businesses and face difficulties in their daily lives because of inadequate phone signal and 4G connectivity.

People who live in the countryside are losing out to their urban counterparts when it comes to public services, Rural England argues.

It found a 36 per cent discrepancy in the amount of funding per head received by rural authorities for public health services compared with urban areas.

Brian Wilson, author of the report and chairman of Rural England, said: “Nearly a fifth of people in England live in rural areas, yet the evidence shows that many of them face inadequate services, such as being unable to make mobile phone calls or being without transport options.

“Two years after we released the first State of Rural Services report, it seems clear that rural residents frequently still lose out in funding and service access.

“The challenges facing rural communities are likely to grow in the coming years and this will be reflected in their service needs. If policies and service delivery were properly rural-proofed, those needs would be much better met.”

The report found a basic mobile phone call cannot be made inside 33 per cent of rural buildings – an issue that affects just 3 per cent of urban premises.

A 4G connection – the latest version of wireless service that delivers broadband internet access to mobile devices – cannot be accessed in 58 per cent of rural premises.

The report also raised concerns about the difficulties faced by some elderly people in getting around. Nearly a quarter of the rural population is 65 or over but many countryside bus services have been scrapped as councils hit by shrinking budgets try to save money.