Welsh village gets first mobile signal from a lamppost
Key Points
- Clocaenog in Denbighshire has reliable mobile signal for the first time
- EE installed a mini mast on an existing lamppost in the village centre
- Partners include BT, Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government
- The Brenig Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund part-funded the project
- BT has invested over £500 million in Welsh connectivity since 2020
A rural Denbighshire village has received reliable mobile phone coverage for the first time after EE installed a mini mast on a lamppost in the centre of the community.
Clocaenog, near Ruthin in North Wales, had been without usable mobile signal for decades until a partnership between BT, Denbighshire County Council, Clocaenog Community Council and the Welsh Government brought EE’s 4G network to the village.
The project received additional funding from the Brenig Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund, which distributes money from the nearby wind farm to local communities.
The technology was installed on an existing lamppost rather than a traditional mast, an approach BT said allows mobile coverage to be extended into rural areas where conventional infrastructure is harder and more expensive to deploy.
Residents previously had to travel outside the village to make a mobile call, and now have coverage across the village for remote working, online services and emergency contact if fixed broadband fails.
Kris Longworth, a Clocaenog resident of more than four years, said the change had transformed daily life in the village.
“Before, getting a mobile signal meant travelling outside the village, whereas now I can make calls around my home and stay connected while out walking locally,” he said. “As someone who works from home, that flexibility makes a real difference. For a rural community like ours, it’s been a real game-changer.”
Susi Marston, Head of Public sector Wales at BT Business, said the partnership was focused on giving residents and businesses “better connections to services, stronger links between people and more confidence to grow and plan for the future”.
She said the use of mini masts meant BT could deliver network services “in a way which respects the unique character of the area”.
Adam Price, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, said digital not-spots “have no place in our vision for Wales”, adding that the Welsh Government was committed to driving investment, innovation and higher productivity across the country.
Clocaenog is the second Welsh village EE has connected this year, after the operator delivered mobile coverage to Penmachno in the Machno Valley, south of Betws-y-Coed.
BT said it has invested more than £500 million in fixed and mobile connectivity across Wales since 2020.
