Mobile

All things mobile

Making a difference to local communities in Reawick, Shetland

Tuesday, 28 February 2023

The Scottish Government’s Scottish 4G Infill Programme (S4GI) is a £28.75 million initiative delivering 4G infrastructure and services in 55 mobile “notspots” in rural and remote parts of Scotland. S4GI is being delivered in partnership with WHP Telecoms and the Scottish Futures Trust, and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support activity in the Highlands and Islands.

One of the S4GI masts has been activated in Reawick, Shetland, and is a great example of how the S4GI programme has improved digital connectivity in rural Scotland. This new mast has provided much needed coverage to the village and surrounding areas. We caught up with local resident Sharon Deyell:

  • “Prior to the activation of this mast there was very little or no mobile signal, so this mast has made a huge difference to our local community and visitors to the area.
  • “Thanks to this connectivity, our local community feels much safer and secure knowing they can make telephone calls and will get a signal.
  • “The quality of life for our local community has greatly improved and things that others take for granted are now available to us. For example, we can now order a Chinese takeaway and have it delivered instead of making a 60 mile round trip.
  • “We are also now able to make more use of our local community hall for events, etc. as we are able to get a signal in a way that we never could before. Thanks to this mobile connectivity, we can now also take card payments instead of having to always use cash.”

This case study is an example of the huge benefits the #S4GI programme is bringing to local communities. Find out more here: Scottish 4G infill programme: progress update - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)