£800 mobile booster scheme open in Devon and Somerset
© Tim Scrivener Small businesses and households in Devon and Somerset who cannot reliably make mobile calls indoors because of poor coverage can now apply for support to buy a mobile booster to enhance their 4G signal.
Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) is rolling out a new scheme, which offers an £800 voucher to purchase a mobile signal booster from a registered scheme supplier.
The programme will focus on premises that have no adequate coverage from any mobile operator or only one operator.
See also: Farm groups welcome £1bn rural mobile coverage deal
Work will begin this month and the aim is to install 1,250 systems by February 2022.
Application process
Businesses and residents wanting to apply should fill in the online application form, in which they have to self-certify that they cannot currently make or receive indoor calls reliably from their current office or home, using a mobile phone with their current mobile network operator.
Upon application, a voucher code will be emailed to the applicant, which can be used with one of two registered scheme suppliers/installers.
It is down to the applicant to research which of the suppliers can install in their area and will offer them the best solution for their needs.
The initiative is being funded through the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal.
Data from Ofcom states that 23,000 premises across the Devon and Somerset area are 4G “not-spots”, and so lack adequate coverage.
The scheme will run alongside the current work of CDS to improve broadband connectivity in the hardest-to-reach areas of Devon and Somerset.
Visit the CDS website to apply for the Mobile Signal Booster Scheme.