- Vodafone ultrafast 4G launching today in Glasgow and coming to Edinburgh on 21 November
- 4G services could boost the economy in Glasgow by as much as £61m a year and Edinburgh by £49m a year, with a total lift to Scottish economy of up to £544m a year
- Increased network investment to more than double indoor 3G coverage in Scotland by 2015
Vodafone UK is expanding its ultrafast 4G coverage across Glasgow and Edinburgh, bringing a choice of fantastic sports or music entertainment (Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV) to local people and boosting local businesses with faster speeds, bigger data allowances and the ability to share that data at no extra cost. This year alone Vodafone is spending over £65m to bring 4G to Scotland; this investment comes on top of the £802m that Vodafone spent acquiring the widest portfolio of mobile spectrum in the recent auction by Ofcom.
Ultrafast 4G services will help businesses raise their game by enabling employees to work where they need to, when they need to. Almost nine out of ten business leaders (86%) believe 4G will increase their productivity by providing a genuine ‘in-office’ experience wherever they are, accordingtorecentresearchbyVodafone.*
The arrival of competitive 4G services could boost the economy in Glasgow by as much as £61m a year and Edinburgh by £49m a year, with a total lift to Scottish economy of up to £544m a year, according to further independent research.**
Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister for Scotland said “The launch of Vodafone’s 4G service will allow businesses in Glasgow and Edinburgh to work faster and more effectively. It also gives the people of Glasgow and Edinburgh the opportunity to access and share more data.
“Vodafone’s announcement today feeds into our vision that Scotland will be a world leading digital nation by 2020. Central to this will be the development of future-proofed infrastructure that supports high quality connectivity on any device, anywhere, at any time. To achieve this we are investing over £240 million to extend next generation broadband access to 95% of premises in Scotland by 2017/18.”
Alongside the launch of 4G, Vodafone is also investing heavily in its existing network with plans to more than double indoor 3G coverage throughout Scotland over the next couple of years. Vodafone has pledged to provide indoor coverage across 2G, 3G and 4G services to near 98% of the Scottish population by 2015. But it’s not stopping there. Vodafone has worked with communities in the Scottish Borders, Highlands and Shetland Isles to bring much needed mobile coverage to homes and businesses through its ‘open Sure Signal’ technology. Working with the local community, Scottish government and local politicians, Vodafone has installed the ground breaking technology to provide 3G coverage in the communities of Kinlochard, Newcastleton and Walls. Vodafone’s ability to reach remote parts of Scotland has been significantly enhanced in the last year following the acquisition of Cable and Wireless Worldwide – Vodafone is the only company in the UK to own its own integrated fixed and mobile network.
Vodafone will also be there to support Scotland in 2014 as the country hosts the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup. Vodafone is delighted to announce that it will be providing special coverage solutions for these events to ensure customers continue to get a great service.
Notes to editors
*Vodafone research showing that 86% of businesses believe that 4G will increase their productivity was conducted with 554
organiational leaders across UK PLC and is available at: http://www.yourbetterbusiness.co.uk/perspective_4g_in_the_workplace
**Estimates of economic benefit based on independent research by Capital Economics which found that 4G, when deployed
to the population, could increase GDP by 0.5% across the UK. Research was based upon investment “made by the mobile
telephone network operators” and deployment “by the mobile network operators”.. Customers can check Vodafone’s current and planned coverage at:
http://www.vodafone.co.uk/our-network-and-coverage/uk-coverage-map/index.htm
