Engineering and Technology magazine reports that phone boxes in Cornwall are being adapted to provide 4G mobile coverage on Vodafone to users in the area.

Coastal areas typically have poor signal due to their relatively rural locations. In addition, telephone box usage is currently falling, with around a 20 per cent drop annually. Mobile provider Vodafone plans to adapt phone booths to provide 4G coverage in a 200m radius.

‘Improved mobile coverage in rural areas helps the local economy, keeps people connected and, above all, offers reassurance at times when you just have to make that call, but it can be challenging to deliver,’ said Scott Petty, chief technology officer of Vodafone UK. ‘That is why we are in the final stages of presenting to Government our industry-wide blueprint for improving mobile coverage. It is also why we are looking at innovative ways of extending coverage, such as making use of phone boxes.’

The announcement comes after Ofcom’s chief technology officer announced earlier this month that the Government’s target to connect 95 per cent of the UK by 2022 would not be met.

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