Ofcom urged to dump rural mobile plan

The Times reports that mobile operator Three has called on Ofcom to change its plan to improve mobile coverage in the countryside.

Three said that Ofcom’s plan ‘lacked ambition’ and came at an ‘inflated cost’. Instead, Graham Baxter, Three’s chief operating officer, suggested that Ofcom back a single rural network and called for a loosening of planning rules to allow for taller masts.

During the next auction of ‘spectrum radio frequencies’ Ofcom plans to give mobile operators a discount in exchange for commitments to improve coverage. To secure the discount, two operators would have to extend 4G coverage to 90 per cent of the country.

But Graham Baxter argues that this would only improve coverage on those two networks, while his plan for a single rural network would mean every new mast would increase coverage for all four operators.

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→ The Times - Three urges Ofcom to dump rural mobile plan