MOBILE coverage across the UK continues to improve but Scotland’s 4G availability is bottom of the pile, according to a new Ofcom report.
Only 38% of Scotland’s geographic area has access to good 4G service from all operators compared to 82% in England.
The regulator has called the coverage “unsatisfactory”.
Andrew McRae, the Federation of Small Businesses’ Scotland policy chair, said: “Consumers and businesses in Scotland are paying as much for their mobile phones as counterparts elsewhere in the UK for a service, which this report illustrates, is far worse.
“While it is good to see Ofcom note that this is unsatisfactory, we need to see action from them, the UK Government and mobile operators to address this long-standing problem.”
Premises in the Highlands are least likely to have either a decent fixed or good mobile service in the whole of the UK.
A decent fixed connection means a download speed of at least 10MB/s and access to good indoor mobile coverage.
The Scottish Government’s Scottish 4G Infill Programme aims to extend 4G coverage to areas not covered by commercial roll-out.
Combined with funding from the European Union, up to £25 million of public money will be invested in delivering 4G infrastructure to serve mobile “not-spots” in Scotland.
Superfast broadband coverage has increased to 92%, up from 87% last year. This is just below 94% and 93% availability in England and Wales respectively.
A superfast connection has a download speed of at least 30MB/s.
But just because this is available does not mean people are using it.
Ofcom has launched its Boost Your Broadband campaign to provide guidance for consumers, letting them know the best deals for their needs in their area.
In 2017, the Scottish Government launched its R100 (Reaching 100%) programme to deliver superfast broadband to every home and business by 2021.
McRae continued: “This publication also underlines that Scotland is making good progress on superfast broadband provision, though we still lag both England and Wales. We strongly support the Scottish Government’s ambition on this front – though we would underline that expectations amongst communities and firms are very high and they must deliver.
“From next April, over 100,000 Scottish businesses will have to update their tax records digitally, as part of the Making Tax Digital programme.”
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