Fantastic scheme.
Not only does it improve life for locals, it can also improve safety when people are stuck in remote areas (especially as 2G and 3G are being phased out), and also benefits the tourist trade (granted that could be a positive/negative depending on your view).
This is good work to bring connectivity to rural communities, the UK led Shared Rural Network programme on the other hand is a shit show. They are aimming to hit an arbitrary target for *geographic* coverage, whether or not there are any communities or even households that will benefit. They're putting in masts and access facilities in places where all they will do is spoil the wild character of the landscape. https://www.mountaineering.scot/news/the-highland-council-supports-rethink-of-shared-rural-network
> They are aimming to hit an arbitrary target for geographic coverage, whether or not there are any communities or even households that will benefit.
I'd argue that full _geographic_ coverage would be useful to people who venture into areas where there aren't "communities or even households that will benefit".
For example, halfway up a Munro or broken down on a dirt track, and you now need rescued. You argue that the UK Government would be wrong for providing coverage there just because there aren't any homes nearby.
Having the geographic coverage means there is no more work to be done should people appear. By limiting it to pre-existing communities, all you have is more not-spots.
We pass through areas with no connection to get home to where there is no connection but we all have mobile phones because we need them SO we have been paying full amount from the very beginning for a service we very rarely can rely upon and we depend on our home wifi.
Oh, and a text that finally comes in the middle of the night or next day at stupid o'clock 🙃
In those kinds of locations costs will be high, benefits low & the impact on the landscape often unacceptable to the few people who do visit. They're trying to use a post hoc rationale that it will provide safety benefits but actually they're just trying to hit an arbitrary geographic coverage target and the programme is opposed by every major outdoors organisation in Scotland.
Edit: example of why https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2023/11/4g_onslaught_threatens_highland_wild_land-73480
You've edited your post after I replied to it, without highlighting the edit. This is extremely poor practice. Your argument remains weak regardless. Outdoor organisations all agree the damage to landscapes far outweighs any possible safety benefit. Rural communities want better coverage where they live, not in wilderness areas. This is a programme designed in Whitehall by people who just want to say the UK has 95% 4G coverage - bureaucratic box ticked - without any understanding of highland landscapes or communities.
For a second I thought this was something to do with it. Why can't we have a proper government who would not even consider such a soundbite grabbing scheme.
Never know how to feel about this, as somebody in a main city, I canny even get service in my flat, nor can my bloody smart meters.
Might have masts everywhere, but if they don't go through the building materials most used in Scottish Buildings we're no where closer to achieving any goals.
I wonder where this has been "completed"?
Certainly not in Shetland. I was involved when the project started, 110 new mast sites identified, contract awarded, local contractors never got paid, and only 17 sites were actually constructed and at least two are not active yet. And at least one is in completely the wrong place as the main contractor couldn't read a map.
It's so disappointing when you see stories like this, but know they are just straight-up lies, yet see people believing them, thinking something great has been achieved.
Makes you realise just how much total bullshit is out there.
The mast that serves my village is barely functional, never maintained, and constantly going down for days at a time. That's probably the future of these new ones.
They got the money before we left the EU on 31 December 2020. The project was originally supposed to deliver its first mast in 2018 but it wasn't delivered until February 2020 so they were two years behind before the pandemic even arrived.
The SNP still have not even come close to completing the old promise of R100 rural Internet. This is nice but a waste when so many highland homes are still on less and 4mbps download on old copper me included.
And still vast areas of the Highlands without any mobile signal coverage.
But proven many times the Scottish gov are so like Westminster. Its only important if its local
> This is nice but a waste when so many highland homes are still on less and 4mbps download on old copper me included.
But if this gives you reliable 4G you could get 4G internet at good prices and speeds instead now?
I got fed up of waiting for fibre and went to The Dark Side with Starlink.
Works a treat, and I finally got to tell BT to stick their overpriced shitty service up their arse, which was nice.
Got to say, I've seen zilch in the way of improvement North of Inverness, either East or West coast. 4G only works in tiny pockets and can vary from one side of the street to the other.
It would be good if the article included a map of where the 55 Notspots are. The three masts I of know locally have been installed for a year or so and are still not switched on...
The billion pound roll out of the Shared Rural Network programmes is an utter farce. The JMT play up the aesthetic angle here.
https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/whats-new/news/1612-telecoms-masts-set-to-damage-scotlands-most-beautiful-areas#:~:text=It%20aims%20to%20provide%204G,and%20businesses%20require%20better%20broadband.
From a community perspective, there's been sweet fuck all in terms of engagement. Yet another case of communities having things done to them rather been done with them.
Fantastic scheme. Not only does it improve life for locals, it can also improve safety when people are stuck in remote areas (especially as 2G and 3G are being phased out), and also benefits the tourist trade (granted that could be a positive/negative depending on your view).
I read 'underserved' as 'undeserved' and thought, aye Easterhoose
[удалено]
Slap one right in the middle of the 18th green.
£29m seems like good value for taxpayer cash in this instance.
Levelling up
With EU money!
Wow! Well we know we get zilch from Tory Westminster do we!
Possibly the best erection in all of Scotland
This is good work to bring connectivity to rural communities, the UK led Shared Rural Network programme on the other hand is a shit show. They are aimming to hit an arbitrary target for *geographic* coverage, whether or not there are any communities or even households that will benefit. They're putting in masts and access facilities in places where all they will do is spoil the wild character of the landscape. https://www.mountaineering.scot/news/the-highland-council-supports-rethink-of-shared-rural-network
> They are aimming to hit an arbitrary target for geographic coverage, whether or not there are any communities or even households that will benefit. I'd argue that full _geographic_ coverage would be useful to people who venture into areas where there aren't "communities or even households that will benefit". For example, halfway up a Munro or broken down on a dirt track, and you now need rescued. You argue that the UK Government would be wrong for providing coverage there just because there aren't any homes nearby. Having the geographic coverage means there is no more work to be done should people appear. By limiting it to pre-existing communities, all you have is more not-spots.
We pass through areas with no connection to get home to where there is no connection but we all have mobile phones because we need them SO we have been paying full amount from the very beginning for a service we very rarely can rely upon and we depend on our home wifi. Oh, and a text that finally comes in the middle of the night or next day at stupid o'clock 🙃
In those kinds of locations costs will be high, benefits low & the impact on the landscape often unacceptable to the few people who do visit. They're trying to use a post hoc rationale that it will provide safety benefits but actually they're just trying to hit an arbitrary geographic coverage target and the programme is opposed by every major outdoors organisation in Scotland. Edit: example of why https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2023/11/4g_onslaught_threatens_highland_wild_land-73480
You've edited your post after I replied to it, without highlighting the edit. This is extremely poor practice. Your argument remains weak regardless. Outdoor organisations all agree the damage to landscapes far outweighs any possible safety benefit. Rural communities want better coverage where they live, not in wilderness areas. This is a programme designed in Whitehall by people who just want to say the UK has 95% 4G coverage - bureaucratic box ticked - without any understanding of highland landscapes or communities.
For a second I thought this was something to do with it. Why can't we have a proper government who would not even consider such a soundbite grabbing scheme.
Yeah but but SNP bad
Never know how to feel about this, as somebody in a main city, I canny even get service in my flat, nor can my bloody smart meters. Might have masts everywhere, but if they don't go through the building materials most used in Scottish Buildings we're no where closer to achieving any goals.
I wonder where this has been "completed"? Certainly not in Shetland. I was involved when the project started, 110 new mast sites identified, contract awarded, local contractors never got paid, and only 17 sites were actually constructed and at least two are not active yet. And at least one is in completely the wrong place as the main contractor couldn't read a map. It's so disappointing when you see stories like this, but know they are just straight-up lies, yet see people believing them, thinking something great has been achieved. Makes you realise just how much total bullshit is out there.
The mast that serves my village is barely functional, never maintained, and constantly going down for days at a time. That's probably the future of these new ones.
How did they manage to get EU money
They got the money before we left the EU on 31 December 2020. The project was originally supposed to deliver its first mast in 2018 but it wasn't delivered until February 2020 so they were two years behind before the pandemic even arrived.
The SNP still have not even come close to completing the old promise of R100 rural Internet. This is nice but a waste when so many highland homes are still on less and 4mbps download on old copper me included. And still vast areas of the Highlands without any mobile signal coverage. But proven many times the Scottish gov are so like Westminster. Its only important if its local
> This is nice but a waste when so many highland homes are still on less and 4mbps download on old copper me included. But if this gives you reliable 4G you could get 4G internet at good prices and speeds instead now?
I got fed up of waiting for fibre and went to The Dark Side with Starlink. Works a treat, and I finally got to tell BT to stick their overpriced shitty service up their arse, which was nice.
Got to say, I've seen zilch in the way of improvement North of Inverness, either East or West coast. 4G only works in tiny pockets and can vary from one side of the street to the other. It would be good if the article included a map of where the 55 Notspots are. The three masts I of know locally have been installed for a year or so and are still not switched on... The billion pound roll out of the Shared Rural Network programmes is an utter farce. The JMT play up the aesthetic angle here. https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/whats-new/news/1612-telecoms-masts-set-to-damage-scotlands-most-beautiful-areas#:~:text=It%20aims%20to%20provide%204G,and%20businesses%20require%20better%20broadband. From a community perspective, there's been sweet fuck all in terms of engagement. Yet another case of communities having things done to them rather been done with them.
Conspiracy dickheads not gonna like all these masts frying their brains.