Argyll and Bute Council has launched an area-wide mobile coverage survey in the hope of bridging the digital divide for rural communities.

The council said that the initiative will bring ‘unparalleled insight’ into mobile network performance across the region, providing a more detailed picture of the current gaps in coverage.

The survey is part of a partnership project with Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) and will see network analysts Streetwave survey mobile connectivity across more than 2,500 kilometres of road network in Argyll and Bute, encompassing mainland and island areas.

Data collected by the survey will assess signal strength, network speed, and coverage for the UK’s four network operators, EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone, and allow the council to identify areas of limited coverage, especially in remote areas where digital exclusion remains a significant problem for residents.

The mapping exercise will be carried out using the council’s fleet of bin lorries to ensure thorough coverage of every address, while volunteers will use portable data collection units to measure connectivity in more remote areas, including islands, farms, and walking routes.

According to the council, this approach will deliver a ‘technologically advanced’ understanding of digital coverage than currently available, providing insight into signal strength, upload and download speeds, as well as which frequency (2,3,4 or 5G) an area is using. 

All the data will then be made available to residents and businesses through Streetwave’s free coverage checker, helping them make informed choices about the best mobile networks in their area.

The council’s Digital Exclusion Fund is supporting the project, match funded by the SFT. The council first established the fund to assist communities that are outside any commercial or government programme to secure a superfast broadband connection. 

The council’s Policy Lead for Business, Councillor Math Campbell-Sturgess, said: “This is a ground-breaking initiative that will be of huge benefit to our communities.”

“A reliable mobile phone signal is vital, especially in some of our more remote locations. By gathering precise data on mobile network performance, we can better address digital exclusion and push for essential coverage improvements, ensuring connectivity for all our residents and businesses, no matter their location.”

Councils elsewhere in the UK have already used similar schemes to tackle the digital divide. Streetwave have previously harnessed refuse lorries across much of Wales to identify areas of low connectivity, using simple off-the shelf smartphones coupled with Streetwave software.

Likewise, the Scottish Futures Trust has been involved in identifying ‘not-spots’ for some time, and has already made progress in its efforts to deliver fifty-five masts in remote areas across Scotland to extend digital infrastructure and mobile connectivity, reporting an additional twenty-six mast activations in 2022/23.

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That work goes hand in hand with the Scottish Government’s pledge to get more remote and rural communities online, with over £600 million being invested into the R100 programme that the government claims will connect around 113,000 properties in North, South and Central Scotland. 

Despite the Scottish Government claims that over 60,000 premises had been connected as a result of the programme, the rollout scheme has faced some backlash, with questions being raised in parliament regarding its failure to reach some communities in the most remote areas.