100 Government Funded 4G Mobile Mast Upgrades Now Live Across UK | ISPreview UK

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The UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has tonight revealed that a total of 100 government-funded rural 4G (mobile broadband) mast upgrades have now gone live across England (28 masts), Wales (44) and Scotland (33) as part of the industry-led £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project. But more are set to follow by 2027.

The SRN – originally supported by a commitment of £501m in public funding and £532m of private investment from operators – involves both the reciprocal sharing of existing masts in certain areas and the demand-led building and sharing of new masts in others between the operators.

The SRN has already achieved its first target a year ahead of schedule by ensuring that 96% of the UK’s landmass can now access a 4G mobile network from at least one operator (here), although the coverage range drops to 89-90% when looking look across all operators (here). The project is now focused on tackling the second target to reduce Total Not-Spot (TNS) areas by January 2027.

Most of the early work on this project has typically involved private investment from the main mobile network operators, but over the past two years we’ve also seen government-funded mast upgrades and new site builds taking place in other parts of the country. A total of 100 mast upgrades have now gone live across the UK via government funding (up from 50 in late May 2025).

Some of this phase has involved helping to upgrade Extended Area Service (EAS) masts that have been built as part of the 4G Emergency Services Network (ESN) – these masts previously only connected EE customers and anyone making 999 calls (i.e. all mobile operators can now use these sites).

The 100 masts are predicted to bring outdoor 4G signal coverage from all mobile networks to over 4,019 square kilometres of the UK – an area equivalent to 2.5 times the size of Greater London. Not to mention 1,400km of roads and 9,500 premises. As well as remote homes, over 400 businesses are now benefiting from new coverage as a result of the latest expansion, boosting economic growth. The new coverage will also be available in 10 national parks across England, Scotland and Wales.

Telecoms Minister, Liz Lloyd, said:

“More of Britain’s rural communities are finally getting the connection they’ve been waiting for as we deck the hills with 4G coverage.

These 100 upgraded masts mean businesses can ring up sales, families can video call their loved ones this Christmas without buffering mid-conversation, and our beautiful rural areas can attract the investment, jobs and tourism they need to thrive.

Whether you’re in the Welsh valleys, the Scottish Highlands, or England’s national parks – rural communities are finally getting the connections they deserve, boosting opportunity and growth as we drive forward plans for national renewal.”

A further 85 government funded mast upgrades are currently planned across Britain before 2027, including up to 44 new publicly funded masts built across Scotland (the first is already live in the Western Isles). The announcement also included a long list of the 100 masts mentioned in today’s update, so if anybody is curious..

The 100 Mast Locations