Oxfordshire County Council’s Digital Infrastructure Programme has taken a bold step forward to improve mobile connectivity. We have commissioned an innovative programme that will help local authorities to play a more significant role in tackling one of the most persistent challenges facing residents and businesses – poor mobile connectivity.
The programme, named Digital Places to highlight the significance of local input in connectivity planning, is designed to assist public sector organisations in addressing mobile connectivity issues by offering a shared, data-based overview of network gaps and potential areas for improvement.
The Digital Places programme launched on the 25th June, and is open to all local authorities, enabling them to work together, share ideas, and spread costs between them to drive value for money.
As well as commissioning the programme on behalf of the public sector, Oxfordshire County Council will be the first local authority user. Its costs of up to £500k will be met from its Digital Infrastructure Programme gainshare fund, not from taxpayer contributions.
Digital Places will use a wide range of data about mobile connectivity to give councils a comprehensive understanding of which places don’t have the mobile connectivity that their communities need, and what can be done about the problem.
Craig Bower, Oxfordshire’s Digital Infrastructure Programme Director, explains:
“Many local authorities rely on crowd-sourced and drive-by mobile data to identify connectivity challenges. Yet, it’s often difficult to extract actionable insights or set clear priorities from this information, which means progress can stall. We recognise the issues – but turning data into effective solutions remains a real challenge.
The Digital Places programme will help us to understand the problem better, and to develop appropriate action plans, working together with network operators and other interested parties to drive real improvements.”
Craig Bower explains further:
“The UK mobile market is one of the most competitive in the world in respect of consumer pricing, and this does have a bearing on what capital the operators have available for building the infrastructure necessary for the connectivity they’d like to provide.
The planning system is still challenging for mobile infrastructure, and it can be difficult for communities, planners and operators to work together collaboratively to find a practical balance.
Digital Places will help to support work by local digital teams, such as we have in Oxfordshire, to advocate for finding solutions that bring together planning considerations with the connectivity needs of local communities.”
Why this matters
Mobile connectivity is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. Poor connectivity is increasingly becoming a barrier to economic growth, digital inclusion, and everyday life. This is a proactive step toward ensuring Oxfordshire remains a digitally connected and competitive region.
The Digital Infrastructure Programme team is thrilled to have commissioned this programme, and that Oxfordshire will be the first beneficiary.
To find out more and contact the Digital Places team, visit the website: https://www.digitalplaces.org.uk/