Shrewsbury town centre businesses urged to share experience to improve mobile connectivity
Shrewsbury town centre businesses are being asked for evidence of poor mobile connectivity to lobby providers to improve coverage and network capacity.
The survey of people’s experience, being circulated through Shrewsbury BID, follows on from a technical survey conducted by the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region which highlighted persistent connectivity issues in the town.
The testing was carried out using Streetwave technology and forms part of the UK’s largest independent survey of mobile connectivity. The findings from Shrewsbury add to a growing national picture that challenges the coverage levels reported by Ofcom and mobile network operators.
While Ofcom’s coverage models suggest that almost the entire town centre should have “good outdoor” coverage from all four major mobile operators, the Streetwave data shows that nearly 60 per cent of readings failed to reach the signal strength associated with reliable voice performance.
In The Square postcode (SY1 1LW), which covers one of the busiest parts of the town, no mobile network met the relevant Ofcom voice standard on more than 20 per cent of tests, despite official predictions indicating the strongest category of coverage for every operator.
The data also highlights particular challenges in the north‑western part of the Loop and suggests that network capacity pressures may be most acute in areas with the highest visitor numbers. On busy trading days, footfall in the town centre can exceed 50,000 visitors, raising concerns that poor connectivity may be affecting card payments, customer confidence and spending on the High Street.
Alex Wagner, Deputy Leader of Shropshire Council, said:-
“Shrewsbury has a strong and growing Town Centre economy, but the evidence shows that real‑world mobile performance is not matching what coverage models suggest.
“Poor connectivity can affect card payments, customer confidence and, ultimately, trade. By completing the survey, businesses can help us build the strongest possible case for working with operators on practical solutions.”
Shropshire Council is also exploring, with partners, how public assets could support potential solutions. This includes looking at opportunities for host sites and small‑cell technologies where traditional network infrastructure is more difficult to deliver.
Responses to the survey will be used alongside the RSPAWIR technical evidence in discussions with mobile network operators and Government, helping to ensure that decisions about future investment are based on lived experience as well as modelling.
The RSPAWIR, managed by Shropshire Council, has received £4 million in funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to support the growth of advanced wireless innovation across key economic sectors and is one of ten innovation regions nationally to receive funding.
RSPAWIR focuses on accelerating the adoption of advanced wireless technologies across three sectors with strong roots in the catchment area: water management, agri‑tech and the public sector.
