Helicopters deliver and install 4G masts on Skye as part of £1bn Shared Rural Network project

Helicopters have helped deliver and install 4G masts on the Isle of Skye as part of a £1bn project to improve connectivity for rural areas.

The Isle of Skye, which is the second largest island in Scotland, has become the 100th site to benefit from improved mobile connectivity.

Virgin Media O2 used helicopters to install the new masts as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme.

The SRN is a £1bn joint initiative between mobile network operators and the UK Government to extend 4G connectivity to 95% of the UK’s landmass by the end of 2025.

Of the 100 rural sites which have been built or upgraded by Virgin Media O2 so far, 78 are in some of the most remote areas in Scotland, such as Shetland, Ardross and Argyll and Bute.

The upgrades provide customers with faster and more reliable mobile data and higher quality voice calls, transforming coverage in areas with previously patchy or slow services.

Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “We’re going to extreme lengths connecting the most remote corners of the UK to deliver our share of the Shared Rural Network.

“This investment is vital to ensure we provide fast and reliable coverage to all areas of the UK. With so much of our modern life taking place online, rural communities deserve the same standard of mobile connectivity as those in urban areas, and we’re proud to be stepping up and playing our part.

“The 100 sites we have delivered will mean that more residents, businesses and visitors in rural areas can benefit from better mobile coverage, with more locations to follow in the coming months. This work is vital in tackling the urban-rural digital divide that exists in the UK.”