VODAFONE has revealed a major milestone in its effort to bring better connectivity to areas with patchy signal.
And its progress benefits O2 and Three customers too.
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The network’s shared 4G coverage project has now been installed in 250 locations.
Vodafone’s latest spot has been announced as Church Stretton in rural Shropshire.
It’s all part of a £1billion Shared Rural Network programme between the Government and network providers, where they work together to boost connections in rural areas.
This means O2 and Three customers also gain from faster, more reliable mobile data and higher quality voice calls.
And masts built by rivals as part of the scheme benefit Vodafone customers too.
Overall, the initiative aims to extend 4G connectivity to 95 per cent of the UK’s landmass by the end of 2025.
“Church Stretton is great news and reaching our 250th SRN site is a major milestone for our programme,” said Andrea Dona, Network Director at Vodafone UK.
“As society relies more and more on connectivity, we are confident that – through SRN and our other rural initiatives – our customers, living, working and visiting rural locations will benefit from a strong voice signal and fast data speeds.
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“Our mission to make sure no part of the UK is left behind.”
The move comes after Vodafone shutdown their old 3G network earlier this year.
EE has also already ended its 3G service.
Three is aiming to follow suit by the end of 2024, meanwhile Virgin Media O2 will mark the complete end of 3G in the UK in 2025.
How to save on your mobile phone bill
NOT happy with your current mobile phone deal?
If you’re outside the minimum term of your contract then you won’t need to pay a cancellation fee – and you might be able to find a cheaper deal elsewhere.
But don’t just switch contracts because the price is cheaper than what you’re currently paying.
Take a look at how many minutes and texts, as well as how much data you’re using, to find out which deal is best for you.
For example, if you’re a heavy internet user it’s worth finding a deal that accommodates this so you don’t end up spending extra on bundles or add-ons each month.
Also note that if you’re still in your contract period, you might be charged an exit fee.
Ready to look elsewhere? Pay-as-you-go deals are better for people who don’t regularly use their phone, while monthly contracts usually work out cheaper for those who do.
It’s worth using comparison websites, such as MoneySupermarket and uSwitch.com, to compare tariffs and phone prices.
Billmonitor also matches buyers to the best pay-monthly deal based on their previous three months of bills.
It only works if you’re a customer of EE, O2, Three, Vodafone or Tesco Mobile and you’ll need to log in with your online account details.
There’s also MobilePhoneChecker, which has a bill monitoring feature that recommends a tariff based on your monthly usage.
If you’re happy with your provider then it might be worth using your research to haggle a better deal.