Shared network plans for UK "not-spots" rejected by mobile operators

Mobile operators have rejected government plans to bolster mobile coverage in rural areas by encouraging them to share networks.

As reported by IT Pro in June 2014, the government said UK mobile users should be able to roam or switch onto a rival network when they enter remote areas their current provider doesn't cover.

The proposal was put forward by Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, as part of the government's ongoing push to boost connectivity across the UK countryside.

The motion was also supported by Ed Vaizey, minister for the digital economy, who reportedly wrote to the mobile operators to canvas approval for the plans by the start of 2015.

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However, the UK's community of network operators were said to be displeased because of fears it could make it harder for them to get permission to build masts in rural areas.

Now, according to a report in the Financial Times (FT), the proposal has been dismissed by the operators on the grounds that it will be impossible to achieve in the given time frame.

"It was rejected. There are reasons why it wouldn't work from a technical and legal perspective," a source told the FT.

"The letters outlined the complexity of it and pushed for alternatives."

Despite this setback, the sources claim Javid is still keen to push ahead with the roaming initiative, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is reportedly already embarking on a cost and benefit analysis of the plans.

"We are investing up to 150 million to improve mobile coverage in areas where there is currently no coverage from any of the mobile network operators through the Mobile Infrastructure Project," Vaizey said.

"There are also areas of the UK that have coverage from some [mobile network operators] but not all of them. We're looking closely at ways to improve mobile coverage in these areas including national roaming."