The government-backed Shared Rural Network has switched on its 140th mobile mast, with 49 now live in Scotland — including a second site on Islay that restores signal from all four networks to an area that previously had none.
The Shared Rural Network — the joint UK Government and mobile operator scheme to close 4G mobile not-spots — has activated 140 masts across the UK by the end of June 2026, with 49 of those in Scotland.
The latest addition is a second "total not-spot" site on Islay, bringing coverage from EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone to part of the island that previously had no signal from any network at all. Other recent Scottish sites include Arran, Jura, Dukes Pass in the Trossachs, and Tarbert on Kintyre.
Scotland's 11% total not-spot rate is still more than double the UK average of 5%, so this is real but partial progress — worth tracking against how many sites remain scheduled.
The Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, worth up to £5,000 towards a faster connection, closes to new applications on 20 November 2026. In Aberdeenshire alone, 2,089 premises are still eligible and have not used it.
WIRES has sent its submission to the Competition and Markets Authority's inquiry into BT's purchase of TalkTalk, asking that any approval protects prices, guarantees access to a social tariff and recognises the greater effect in rural Scotland. The full text is here. Comments closed on 9 October; the CMA reports by 19 October.
We read the published digital strategies of Scotland's 32 councils. Of the 24 we could verify, only Glasgow has a standalone strategy on digital exclusion. In 22, it is a theme inside a plan about the council's own services. Eight we couldn't confirm.
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