250 rural locations receiving Vodafone 4G through SRN programme

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.
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.”