Government opens consultation on £150m mobile coverage funding

The government has issued a call for responses from the mobile industry to help it identify how it should best spend the £150m it has allocated to ensure mobile phone coverage is extended to the UK's remotest areas.

The government announced its intention to release the funding in October 2011 as part of a project to ensure 99 per cent of the population can access a good quality phone signal.

Communications minister Ed Vaizey said the government was issuing the consultation document to ensure that the money is spent in the right areas so that all citizens can benefit from the use of mobile devices.

"For as many as one in 10 people a mobile is little more than an expensive paperweight in their own home. The government is determined to provide the UK with the communications infrastructure we need to live, work and drive economic growth in the digital age," he said.

"The views of industry experts will be invaluable in ensuring we use this £150m to bring mobile coverage to as many people as possible."

Those interested in taking part are asked to submit their responses by 10 February, with the government aiming to ensure the benefits of any rollouts are felt by early 2013.

The government also announced its intention to publish a separate consultation to gather the views of local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland and said it will ensure any infrastructure it purchases can run 4G services too.

Ofcom said it would consider providing the funding to a single mobile operator that wins a portion of the 800MHz spectrum in the forthcoming 4G auctions to ensure coverage for 98 per cent of the population, in its revised proposals.