The government-backed Shared Rural Network switched on its 50th mobile mast in Scotland on the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula, extending all-four-operator 4G coverage across more than 1,900 square kilometres of rural Scotland — an area larger than Edinburgh and Glasgow combined.
The Shared Rural Network's 50th Scottish mast went live near Branault, on the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula, bringing 4G coverage from EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone to a part of the Highlands that previously had patchy or no signal.
Fifty masts is a milestone worth marking on its own — but the scale is the real story: UK Government-funded upgrades now cover more than 1,900 square kilometres of rural Scotland, an area larger than Edinburgh and Glasgow combined. That is coverage that would not exist without the public subsidy behind the scheme; commercial operators had left these areas unserved for years.
It follows our report on the programme passing 140 masts UK-wide. Progress is real — the remaining gap is what happens for communities not yet on the list.
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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