THE UK’s highest mobile mast has been installed at the top of Glencoe amid an ongoing project to rollout 4G to rural communities.
The mast, installed by Virgin Media O2, stands at 1108 metres above sea level at Glencoe Mountain Resort marking the completion of the first phase of the Shared Rural Network (SRN).
The SRN rollout aims to bring reliable 4G coverage to more than 200 rural communities, of which the Glencoe Mountain Resort is now the 227th site to benefit from improved mobile coverage.
The operator said they faced significant challenges building the remote site due to extreme weather conditions which made delivering the mast parts “exceptionally difficult”.
Glencoe is also a National Nature Reserve and home to endangered species, like golden eagles and ptarmigan, which engineers also had to be mindful of during their five-week operation.
Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “We are absolutely committed to bringing reliable mobile connectivity to more rural communities and have now completed the first phase of our SRN rollout.
“Our 227th site at Glencoe is now the highest mast in the UK and one of the most impressive to date, standing over a kilometre above sea level and providing connectivity to the nearby ski resort.
“This work is vital in tackling the urban-rural digital divide that exists in the UK.”
The SRN is a £1bn joint venture between mobile network operators and the UK Government to help extend phone connectivity to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025.
The first phase of the programme required each network operator to build a number of new sites, including upgrading pre-existing sites, by the end of June to tackle “Partial Not Spots”.
Virgin Media’s second phase of the programme will include bringing 4G connectivity to areas with no existing mobile service.
The network provider says more than 300 former coverage black spots are now accessible thanks to the project.
