Press Release | 28 May 2024

250 rural locations now receiving Vodafone 4G through Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme

photo of Vodafone UK's first Shared Rural Network mast
Vodafone UK's first Shared Rural Network mast near the village of Devauden, Wales, brings fast and reliable 4G to the countryside community.

Praise be! Church Stretton in rural Shropshire now has 4G thanks to Vodafone and the Shared Rural Network.

A mast located in Church Stretton in rural Shropshire has become the 250th to go live with Vodafone 4G as part of the company’s commitment to the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme. As a result, Vodafone customers visiting, living or working in the area are now enjoying faster and more reliable data speeds as well as better-quality voice calls.

The improvements are the latest in the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, a £1bn joint initiative between Government and the UK’s four mobile network operators, which aims to increase operators’ UK 4G coverage in rural areas. 

The activity is also part of Vodafone’s wider network modernisation programme which has seen its 4G coverage reach 99% of UK premises, and the recent retirement of its 3G network so 3G’s radio frequencies can be used to strengthen 4G and 5G services across the UK. Other activities include the introduction of innovative mast technologies such as OpenRAN to deliver coverage to more rural and remote locations across the UK.  

Huge network upgrade begins as Vodafone finishes OpenRAN tests

The rollout of OpenRAN across Wales and the south west is another part of Vodafone’s constant efforts to improve its UK network.
Find out more

Andrea Dona, Network Director at Vodafone UK, said: “Church Stretton is great news and reaching our 250th SRN site is a major milestone for our programme. As society relies more and more on connectivity, we are confident that – through SRN and our other rural initiatives – our customers, living, working and visiting rural locations will benefit from a strong voice signal and fast data speeds. Our mission to make sure no part of the UK is left behind.”

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About Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.

Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.

Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.

For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.

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