Cranborne village becomes a Vodafone local “Champion”

The Dorset village of Cranborne is the latest rural community to receive a helping hand from technology giants Vodafone in an effort to improve 3G mobile phone coverage. Cranborne has become one of a cluster of local Champions to use the new Vodafone ‘open femto’ technology which provides vital connectivity in rural areas battling with poor broadband and 3G signal coverage. Low or no connectivity makes economic growth impossible given all the other problems that these areas share with urban communities.  

In 2011 Ofcom released a report highlighting the poor state of the UK’s communications infrastructure. Ofcom found 3G coverage was concentrated in urban areas and revealed that typically 2G signals reach only 66 percent of the country, with 3G signals reaching only an almost unbelievably low 13 percent.

In an effort to tackle these mobile not-spots, Vodafone has launched 12 trials for community-wide femtocells; the Dorset village of Cranborne being one of these to benefit. “These trials present a very real opportunity for rural communities to play a positive role in extending mobile coverage locally,” said the operator.

With the help of a Community Champion the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs AONB, local MP Bob Walter and the local Parish Council, Cranborne village put together an application to be w trail community, fighting off some stiff competition which resulted in 170 initial applications that in turn were shortlisted to 20 from which the final 12 were chosen.  As a result Cranborne now hosts 5 village Metro Cells which generate a Vodafone mobile signal which will doubtless be of enormous benefit to those living and working in the area. This will help everyone from delivery drivers, the local vet or doctor out on their rounds, the local B&B helping its residents to the local teenager wishing to use their social media apps.

On the 15^th March a celebratory event launching the Cranborne village femto programme will be held.  Bob Walter MP and Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, together with members of the local Parish Council, and key local businesses and residents will meet to celebrate; almost certainly with mobile in hand. Bob Walter commented in his letter of support that, “bringing a mobile phone signal to the area will not only make the day-to-day lives of residents, considerably easier, but will also help to sustain the economy of this rural village and create jobs and growth at a time when many rural villages are stagnating.”

Sure Signal

Vodafone is one of the few operators in the UK to offer femtocells to customers in order to solve the vexing issue of poor mobile phone reception. Otherwise known as Vodafone Sure Signal this small device, about the size of a broadband router, is available relatively cheaply from the operator for householders or businesses suffering signal failure. Whilst it does completely transform the mobile phone signal within a building, its coverage is limited and it only works with Vodafone handsets.

This ground-breaking femtocell technology has now been extended to make a real difference to rural communities similarly suffering. The open femto boxes are slightly bigger in size, and are more robust for the outdoor environment. Boxes are mounted on the outside of buildings and enable a signal to be generated within 300 meters, although the signal can be weakened by trees, walls, or anything else that gets in the way, hence the need for this new pilot study.

In time Vodafone hope the process can be rolled out to many more communities although it does require a lot of community co-operation. Unfortunately though this new technology will not be a green light to solving connectivity issues across the UK as by its very nature, open femto technology is only suitable for small areas, so ideal for small communities, especially public meeting places or focal points which are being called 'community hubs'. For coverage over a wider area, the installation of mobile phone masts remains the best option.