Study aims to improve mobile coverage across Scotland

A research project is underway to assess how the Scottish planning system can support better mobile connectivity.

The study will deliver recommendations for boosting mobile coverage

Property consultant Bidwells and IT adviser FarrPoint are collaborating on the study, for the Scottish Government, to produce evidence-based recommendations on legislative changes to increase “permitted development rights” for electronic communications infrastructure.

The research will examine how investment and technological developments can improve connectivity, especially in more remote communities where mobile coverage lags behind the rest of the country.

Corinne MacDougall, head of planning at Bidwells, said the planning system has a “key role” to play in supporting the Scottish Government’s aims of improving mobile and broadband connectivity by 2020.

“We are considering how the Scottish Government can use the range of legislative levers at its disposal to assist this process,” she said.

Jan Miszalowski, principal consultant at Edinburgh-based FarrPoint, added: “This research work will be a key element in deciding how the Scottish planning system can support operators in building the communications infrastructure required to ensure that everyone in Scotland can participate in the digital age.”