Vodafone connects Welsh village with first Shared Rural Network site in UK

First steps taken after agreement reached in March to provide coverage

Vodafone has made the Welsh village of Devauden the first rural community in the UK to receive 4G coverage under the new Shared Rural Network (SRN) initiative.

The £1 billion initiative will see mast-sharing on certain rural sites where some, but not all MNOs have coverage. The operators and government aim to offer 95 per cent geographical coverage by the end of 2025.

This will extend coverage to more than 280,000 premises and 16,000km of roads.

According to cellular tower mapping service CellMapper, the only pre-existing cell tower near the village belongs to EE. It is likely that this mast has been adapted to allow for Vodafone to provide coverage.

“Everyone should have mobile coverage, and everyone should have the benefit of a choice of networks,” said Vodafone UK CEO Nick Jeffery.

“It is great that the industry has come together to improve coverage across the UK, and I’m proud that we’re leading the way. Our engineering team has done a great job in getting our coverage on to this site, despite the limitations of lockdown.”