Waverley Borough Council has called on the government for help in improving mobile connectivity and broadband coverage in its rural areas as they feel some residents are being neglected.
The phasing out of copper landlines has heightened concerns with WBC asking for urgent help in a letter to the Minister of State for Data and Digital Infrastructure.
Large parts of the borough currently experience poor mobile service and coverage, hindering small businesses and making some aspects of daily life a challenge.
Broadband speeds around Waverley are below the national average with 97.43 per cent having superfast – 30 Mbps or above – connectivity locally.
The figure for England is 98.3 per cent while the full fibre picture is even more concerning, as it’s just 65.56 per cent in Waverley compared to 73.8 per cent nationally.
So the speed of rollouts really needs to be increased with Liz Townsend, WBC portfolio holder for planning and economic development, calling for action.
She said: “We are deeply concerned that the needs of rural areas are being neglected during digital rollouts.
“The lack of mobile coverage and broadband availability has become a serious issue affecting both the day-to-day lives of our residents and the success of local businesses.”
Waverley has a good record when it comes to rural start-ups with 65 being launched in December and 108 companies moving into the borough across a range of industries.
Jeremy Hunt MP – whose Godalming and Ash constituency includes Elstead – has launched a survey to gain a better picture of mobile coverage around his patch with residents encouraged to add their feedback through http://bit.ly/jeremyhuntsignalsurvey
One big problem is the lack of mobile providers as only Vodafone and EE own masts in the area. Fixed line operators like BT, NowTV and Virgin Media are reliant on Openreach infrastructure to provide their services but it’s currently below the minimum standard set by OFCOM in parts of the borough.
And with copper wiring due to be phased out by the end of the year, there are real concerns that people could be left with little or next to no coverage by January 2026.
There’s also been an increase in the number of “not-spots” reported across the borough according to WBC with the push to build extra housing only set to stretch the current mobile and broadband network infrastructure further.
“Despite ongoing efforts and promises from network providers, rural communities in Waverley feel left behind and we are not seeing the progress we need,” added Cllr Townsend.
“We need more support from government to overcome what are becoming significant barriers to growth and the robust enforcement of targets for rural areas.”