Tri-Nation Coverage Consortium

Descriptions

Subject to securing funding, Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) on behalf of participating organisations intends to award a contract to Streetwave Ltd for a period of 12 months with an option to extend for a further period of up to 12 months.

The contract will support 65 councils and 6 police forces across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in conjunction with the Home Office and associated Governments. Ofcom will also be provided with regular updates and data insights.

The proposed collaborative contract is to address the lack of reliable, high-resolution data on mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) network coverage across the UK's geography, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

Reliance on predicted data makes it difficult for Public Sector organisations to enforce coverage obligations or guide Government investment. It also limits councils, government, businesses and residents from choosing the best networks or targeting connectivity interventions. For example, councils and Government can't define digitally excluded communities or identify where planning departments are blocking mast installations that would close coverage gaps. Police forces also lack access to up-to-date cell site data to support investigations, search efforts, and prosecutions.

The proposed contract aims to generate the world's most granular coverage maps across Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Streetwave Ltd will collect real-world signal data from every road and railway line. It is anticipated that this approach will ensure consistent data collection at a national scale.

This innovative approach will support the following:

Consumers and businesses choose the best-performing network in their locations - improving safety and productivity.

Ofcom assesses coverage compliance and support Government policy recommendations.

Councils ensure staff and telemetry systems stay connected - boosting performance.

The Home Office evaluate national Emergency Services Network (ESN) performance to assess readiness.

Police Forces perform national scale cell site analysis - the use of mobile signal data to support investigations.

Planning departments identify priority locations for new mast approvals.

Government identification of coverage gaps and support Mobile Network Operators with providing coverage.

Envisaged Outcomes:

Mobile Coverage Dashboard - view Data on a GIS and analyse results via automatically generated graphs/charts

ESN Performance Dashboard - allowing the relevant bodies to ascertain gaps within ESN.

National Cell Site Data Downloads - allowing cell site analysis

Publicly Accessible Coverage Checker - allowing residents and businesses to understand the best networks available.

Joint collaborators:

Eligible Regulatory Bodies:

1. The Home Office

2. Welsh Government

3. Scottish Government

Welsh Local Authorities:

1. Isle of Anglesey

2. Gwynedd

3. Conwy County Borough

4. Denbighshire

5. Flintshire

6. Wrexham County Borough

7. Powys

8. Ceredigion

9. Pembrokeshire

10. Carmarthenshire

11. Swansea

12. Neath Port Talbot

13. Bridgend County Borough

14. Rhondda Cynon Taf

15. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough

16. Vale of Glamorgan

17. Cardiff

18. Caerphilly County Borough

19. Blaenau Gwent

20. Torfaen

21. Monmouthshire

22. Newport

Scottish Local Authorities:

1. Aberdeen City Council

2. Aberdeenshire Council

3. Angus Council

4. Argyll and Bute Council

5. City of Edinburgh Council

6. Clackmannanshire Council

7. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

8. Dumfries and Galloway Council

9. Dundee City Council

10. East Ayrshire Council

11. East Dunbartonshire Council

12. East Lothian Council

13. East Renfrewshire Council

14. Falkirk Council

15. Fife Council

16. Glasgow City Council

17. Inverclyde Council

18. Midlothian Council

19. North Ayrshire Council

20. North Lanarkshire Council

21. Orkney Islands Council

22. Perth and Kinross Council

23. Renfrewshire Council

24. Scottish Borders Council

25. Shetland Islands Council

26. South Ayrshire Council

27. South Lanarkshire Council

28. Stirling Council

29. The Highland Council

30. The Moray Council

31. West Dunbartonshire Council

32. West Lothian Council

Northern Ireland Local Authorities:

1. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council

2. Ards and North Down Borough Council

3. Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

4. Belfast City Council

5. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council

6. Derry City and Strabane District Council

7. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council

8. Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council

9. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council

10. Mid Ulster District Council

11. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

Police Forces:

1. Police Scotland

2. Police Service of Northern Ireland

3. North Wales Police

4. South Wales Police

5. Gwent Police

6. Dyfed Powys Police