Push to boost rural 4G falters as costs soar

A £1bn plan to tackle rural mobile coverage blackspots is falling behind schedule as costs soar, the official spending watchdog has warned.

The Government’s Shared Rural Network programme is at risk of missing its target of 4G signal availability across 95pc of the UK landmass by the end of next year, the National Audit Office (NAO) said.

It found that the pandemic, local planning challenges for mobile masts and soaring costs on the back of high inflation had all compounded the delays to the project, which is half-funded by taxpayers and half by mobile operators. Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “It is unclear whether the Shared Rural Network programme will achieve its coverage target on time; costs are higher than anticipated; and government has not clearly articulated the benefits of aspects of the programme, including increased connectivity in sparsely populated areas.”

At the start of the project in March 2020, 91.4pc of UK landmass had access to 4G. By autumn the figure had climbed to only 92.7pc, threatening a key 2019 Tory manifesto pledge.

Michelle Donelan, the Technology Secretary, said: “It remains an absolute priority to reach those targets by the end of 2025 and we have a plan to be able to achieve that.” The NAO warned that the Government does not know how far over-budget the upgrade is running, although extra costs will be borne by mobile operators.

Industry sources have complained about planning restrictions on new masts necessary to boost coverage. Late last year three major mobile networks wrote to the body in charge of the rollout admitting they were behind schedule. Only BT has announced it has completed its share of the upgrade.

A Virgin Media O2 spokesman said it was committed to delivering the Shared Rural Network as soon as possible. Three declined to comment.

A government spokesman said the NAO’S concerns of a delay were “premature” and its plans were “on track” for the ultimate 2025 deadline.