Cut-off countryside: No mobile calls in THIRD of rural buildings

THE appalling state of mobile phone coverage in rural areas is revealed in a report published today.

A basic phone call cannot be made inside one third of all rural buildings, researchers found.

Data coverage fares even worse, with a fast 4G signal – taken for granted in most urban areas – unavailable in 58 per cent of rural homes and businesses.

A significant proportion of rural internet users also cannot access a broadband connection with the speed required to complete basic online tasks.

The report by research group Rural England states that inadequate mobile signal and internet has led to vast swathes of the countryside being ‘cut off from building businesses, accessing digital services and going about their daily lives’. Cuts to public transport have disproportionately hit those who live rurally. Almost half now need to leave at least 30 minutes to reach their nearest town centre if they do not have a car.

Country dwellers are having to travel longer to hospitals, and funding for libraries in rural areas has been cut by around a quarter.

But nowhere is the divide between urban and rural more pronounced than in mobile phone and broadband technology.

While a mobile phone call on any of the four networks cannot be made inside 33 per cent of rural buildings, the figure in urban areas is just 3 per cent. And more than half of rural buildings cannot access 4G, compared with 17 per cent of those in towns and cities.

Mobile coverage in the countryside ‘lags very notably’ behind urban areas, the report states.

Despite Government pledges to invest in rural broadband, the report also reveals 11 per cent of buildings in the countryside cannot get a basic fixed-line connection of 10Mbps (megabits per second). This compares with just 1 per cent of urban premises.

Some 24 per cent of rural buildings cannot access a super-fast 30Mbps connection. In urban areas, the figure is just 3 per cent. The average download speed in rural areas is 34Mbps – compared with 50Mbps for the whole country.

However, the report states that rural firms using broadband are concerned about ‘connection reliability’ as much as speed.

The authors conclude: ‘ While connectivity has undoubtedly been improving, it remains a problem in many rural areas.’

The Government has faced repeated criticism for poor broadband speeds in rural areas, home to 17 per cent of England’s population. Two years ago, Chancellor Philip Hammond promised to plough £1billion of taxpayers’ money into improving broadband and mobile phone networks.

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

Graham Biggs, of the Rural Services Network, said: ‘These findings confirm that the situation for people living in rural England is not improving. The country faces a time bomb if nothing is done to address their needs.’