Work to start on improving mobile connectivity in Bath

Work to install a Government-funded pilot scheme to test a next generation 5G mobile network in Bath city centre is set to start later this summer. The scheme aims to address the connectivity and capacity issues relating to mobile network coverage which Bath experiences.

It has received a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Works and will see a network of around 16 small low power cell radio units installed in key locations on lamp posts around the heart of the city.

Councillor Paul Roper, cabinet member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development said: “Many of us are familiar with the poor mobile phone reception areas in the city centre, especially on busy days when, with the current system, it is difficult to even send texts and make phone calls.

“We have carried out surveys and many residents cite connectivity issues, reliability and cost as a barrier to accessing services and information online. So it is great news that our area has been selected for this Government-funded pilot which aims to address those digital inequalities and improve mobile connectivity in a highly-challenging World Heritage City. If the pilot proves successful we hope it will be opened up to the wider public next year.”

The £773,132 government grant will fund the pilot scheme which will involve between 200 to 300 volunteers, from a broad mix of local communities, testing the new 5G network. If successful, there would be an opportunity to open up the network to the wider public following consultation in mid 2025.   

During a pilot phase, a specific SIM card will be provided for users to test the network and at least 200 high-specification handsets will be provided to volunteers in order to test the network’s resilience and performance in managing high demand in a dense environment.

Two indoor locations, the Roman Baths and Bath Rugby Stadium, have also been identified as options to install additional radio units to test the network to benefit customer experiences. The radio units will operate at a radio frequency of around 4 gigahertz, while WiFi routers operate at 2.4 or 5 gigahertz for comparison.

During the pilot phase a number of test events will also take place where users place high demand on the network at the same time and location, with the potential for more realistic testing to occur during future events such as sports fixtures and the Bath Christmas Market.

Currently the scope of the initial pilot would, focuses on central Bath, however there could be potential for additional networks to be added to the high streets of Keynsham and Midsomer Norton, increasing the benefits of the improved digital connectivity, coverage and speed across the authority area.

A Single Member Decision report which went before Councillor Roper earlier this year, highlighted a market failure in the sector, with lack of investment from private telecoms companies which is exacerbated by UK Government restricting some international vendors.

As a result, the Department for Science Innovation and Technology issued a series of Open Network Ecosystem (ONE) funding calls to unlock investment in new next generation open mobile networks that will help open up the telecoms market and boost connectivity.

The grant for the One Word pilot has come from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) which put out an Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) funding call in March 2023. The ONE fund was developed in order to tackle key barriers to the adoption of open mobile networks: with trials in areas of high demand, and to allow for development of new Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) software and hardware solutions to improve performance of these networks.