The Scottish Government has announced a £3.75 million investment to improve digital connectivity and mobile coverage in Scotland’s rural communities.

A further nine masts have been announced for the Highlands, the Angus and island communities and the Scottish Borders, along with plans to replace several masts removed earlier this year.

The masts will provide more rural homes and businesses with 4G mobile connectivity for the first time as part of the latest phase of the Scottish 4G Infill (S4GI) infrastructure programme

It takes the total funding package for the programme, being delivered by WHP Telecoms, to £28.75 million.

The S4GI programme is backed by £17.48 million of Scottish Government funding and £11.27 million from the European Regional Development Fund.

Commenting on the investment, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said: “Digital connectivity is crucial to Scotland’s economic recovery and this latest investment in rural areas furthers our commitment to tackling the nation’s mobile ‘notspots’

“Extending the programme’s reach brings lasting economic, social and environmental benefits. As we move out of lockdown, increased mobile connectivity will help bridge the digital divide between rural and urban areas, allowing people to work more flexibly and sustainably while keeping communities safe and connected.

“This, in turn, advances the Scottish Government’s wider green development goals in the run-up to COP26 in November.”

The S4GI programme has so far delivered 11 masts with more activations expected over the coming months. By the summer of 2023, the programme is anticipated to deliver up to 55 masts across Scotland’s rural regions.

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Martyn Cheyne, WHP’s Strategic Development Director, said: “WHP welcomes confirmation of this additional funding and this is excellent news. By extending the programme’s reach into more communities it will bring life-enhancing connectivity to residents and businesses.

“It is also a sound endorsement of the programme’s success to date, which WHP is pleased to have played a part in, and has paved the way for the Shared Rural Network.”

Rural Scotland connectivity is plagued by issues as the areas tend to be located far from masts and infrastructure. This, in turn, makes it difficult to supply a strong connection.

The new investment is a continuation of plans to boost connectivity for rural areas, with firms like EE recently announcing the extension of 4G rural connectivity to more than 130 areas across Scotland by the end of 2021.

In late March this year, a consortium of organisations, including IoT firm CENSIS, the Scotland 5G Centre, and the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), made the case for better connectivity in remote and rural areas in Scotland.

They received funding from the Scottish Government to develop an economic model that could “redefine the assessments behind infrastructure deployment,” prioritising the “potential value to communities over cost”.