Hikers in the Lake District and Snowdonia can now get a mobile signal
Key Points
- More than 150 government-funded 4G mast upgrades are live through the Shared Rural Network, adding coverage across 5,684 square kilometres.
- The Lake District, Snowdonia and Exmoor previously had EE-only coverage or none; all four major networks are now available.
- The Yorkshire Dales and Eryri (Snowdonia) gained the most, up around seven percentage points each.
- 42 sites are active across UK national parks: 25 in England, 16 in Wales and one in Scotland.
- Up to 40 more upgrades and 44 new Scottish masts are due before the programme ends in January 2027.
More than 150 government-funded 4G mast upgrades have gone live across the UK through the Shared Rural Network, bringing coverage from EE, Virgin Media O2 and VodafoneThree to some of Britain’s hardest-to-reach rural areas.
The upgrades add 4G across more than 5,684 square kilometres of the UK, including the Lake District, Snowdonia and Exmoor.
These areas previously had EE coverage only, or no coverage at all, leaving most visitors unable to get online.
All the work uses existing infrastructure rather than new masts, which the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said will protect scenic spots.
Walkers, hikers and holidaymakers in those areas can now check the weather before a mountain walk, look up a route, share their location or call emergency services.
The coverage also supports rural businesses taking payments and bookings, people accessing online public services, and remote working from home or on the move.
The rollout runs from the Scottish Islands and Highlands to Northumberland, Cumbria, Dyfed-Powys and North Wales.
National parks to see the biggest gains
The Yorkshire Dales and Eryri (Snowdonia) recorded the largest coverage increases of any national park, each rising by around seven percentage points, according to new government figures.
Coverage data comes from Mova, a joint venture owned by EE, Virgin Media O2 and VodafoneThree that delivers and supports digital infrastructure for the operators.
Government analysis shows 42 Shared Rural Network sites are now active across UK national parks. England accounts for 25 of those, including seven in the Lake District and six in the Yorkshire Dales.
Wales has 16, of which 12 are in Eryri/Snowdonia. Scotland has one, in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs.
“You should be able to switch off in the countryside without being cut off from the help and services you need. These 150 masts are helping change that – giving walkers, visitors and rural communities better access to signal when they are checking a route, contacting family, running a business or calling for help,” said Ian Murray, Minister of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
More upgrades coming
The Shared Rural Network is a partnership between the UK government and the mobile operators, and it has already hit its target of extending 4G to 95% of the UK landmass a year ahead of schedule.
The programme runs until January 2027.
Up to 40 further government-funded mast upgrades will go live across Britain in that period, alongside up to 44 new publicly funded masts in Scotland. The first of the Scottish masts is already live in the Western Isles.
The upgraded masts are built by the Home Office primarily to support the Emergency Services Network, with the government and operators working together to add commercial coverage from all UK networks.
Separately, the operators invested in their own masts to tackle partial not-spots, where customers could only get 4G on one particular network. That work finished last year.
