Rural woes

In a supposedly digital age, it is astonishing that some parts of the country, particularly rural areas, are still plagued by terrible mobile phone signals. As we report today, mobile phone operators currently show little sign of rectifying the situation by building more masts in some of the worst-affected places. The issue is exacerbated by slow internet broadband speeds, meaning that thousands of people are missing out entirely on the benefits of the digital economy.

The internet and mobile phone technology should be a boon to the countryside, allowing people to start businesses in their villages, enabling farmers to use the latest productivityenhancing technologies, and giving the young less of an incentive to leave rural areas for the city. A report last year by the National Housing Federation warned that rural populations will shrink over the next few decades because of poor connectivity, while the rest of the country grows.

The problem is that it is often not commercially attractive for mobile phone operators to extend their coverage to areas with fewer subscribers. Rather than punishing them for this fact of business life, government should be doing everything it can to change the financial equation.

It has made a start. New powers were introduced last year to make it easier and cheaper for companies to build masts in rural areas. Ofcom, the telecoms watchdog, is also consulting on setting tougher coverage requirements in future spectrum auctions. Ministers and regulators must watch closely to ensure that these measures have the desired effect. While technology races ahead, it is unsustainable and wrong for the countryside to be left in the digital slow lane.