The UK-wide Shared Rural Network has switched on its 150th mobile mast and reached 95% 4G coverage of the UK landmass a year early. More than 50 of those masts are in Scotland, with up to 44 more publicly funded masts now building — the first already live in the Western Isles.
The Shared Rural Network — the joint UK Government and mobile operator scheme to close 4G not-spots — has activated its 150th mast, and the programme says it has now reached 95% 4G coverage of the UK landmass, a year ahead of its original target.
More than 50 of those masts are in Scotland, and the government says up to 44 more publicly funded masts are now building across the country, with the first of that new tranche already live in the Western Isles. Recent activations include a site in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
This is real, measurable progress on mobile not-spots — the kind of infrastructure spending WIRES wants held to the same account as any other public investment. Scotland's total not-spot rate has been running at more than double the UK average, so the test now is whether the remaining Scottish sites keep building on schedule rather than slipping once the easier coverage gains are banked.
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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