CBI responds to government rural ‘not-spot’ announcement

The CBI, a member organisation tackling the issues challenging British business, has responded to the Government’s £1 billion deal with industry to tackle rural ‘not-spots’.

Moves are in place to give high-quality 4G coverage to 95 per cent of the UK by 2025, meaning consumers will get good 4G signal on the go wherever they live, work or travel. This will be aided by a £530 million proposal from the UK’s mobile network operators for a Shared Rural Network with the potential for it to be matched by £500 million investment from Government.

This would be a world-first deal with EE, O2, Three and Vodafone investing in a network of new and existing phone masts they would all share. Consumers will be able to rely on their own provider’s network to use their mobile phones wherever they are.

Felicity Burch, CBI Director of Digital and Innovation, said; “Seamless mobile connectivity is the cornerstone of the digital economy; it supports flexible workers and encourages businesses to speed up its digital adoption. However, there remain areas in the UK where businesses and consumers can’t access the connections they need”

“The CBI welcomes this industry-government proposal to eliminate not-spots across the UK, which in turn will unleash investment and boost productivity. This is another crucial step in making the UK match-fit for the digital revolution”, Felicity concludes.

Across the UK, the CBI speaks on behalf of 190,000 businesses of all sizes and sectors and the organisations corporate members together employ nearly 7 million people, about one third of private sector-employees. With offices in the UK as well as representation in Brussels, Washington, Beijing and Delhi, the CBI communicates the British business voice around the world.

More information about the CBI and their support of UK business can be found on their website.