Conon Bridge to pick up reliable new mobile phone coverage
A ROSS-SHIRE village which has suffered from unreliable mobile phone signals and slow network speeds is one of 30 "not spots" chosen to receive new 3G coverage next year.
Vodafone UK has announced that Conon Bridge is in line to join its Rural Open Sure Signal 100 programme which provides reliable mobile coverage to rural places.
The installation of the innovative Sure Signal technology, which is set to go live in Conon during 2015, will mean the village will benefit from high quality 3G voice services and access to the internet via mobile devices.
Vodafone says rural and remote locations can miss out on the advantages provided by mobile communication due to the complexity of delivering network coverage.
This can be because of the geography of the area or difficulties with planning permissions in places of outstanding natural beauty.
The Rural Open Sure Signal programme uses innovative "femtocell" technology to provide an alternative solution to bring mobile access in locations where it isn’t possible for networks to provide coverage through traditional means.
Jeroen Hoencamp, Vodafone UK chief executive, said: "I am delighted Conon Bridge has been named as one of our 100 ROSS communities and I’m excited about the transformation this pioneering programme should bring to the community.
"The communities who have worked with us to introduce Open Sure Signal have all told us how life has improved markedly, from the ability to make an appointment at the local doctor to telling their families they are running late for lunch.
"We are committed to investing hugely in our network and using innovative technologies such as Sure Signal to provide coverage to rural communities means we can reach areas where it’s been impossible to reach using traditional means."
The list of 60 UK communities in the programme includes Boat of Garten in Badenoch and Strathspey and Dornoch in Sutherland. It has resulted in the connection of 13 rural communities across the UK so far.
