Wrexham / Shropshire border area could see early 5G coverage

Shropshire is bidding to be at the forefront of 5G mobile technology, saying it will be a “game changer” for businesses in the county.

Shropshire Council said it is pitching to get the high speed mobile data technology rolled out in the county as soon as it is available. The authority said it would be a huge boost to businesses, who are already benefiting from a broadband roll-out still happening in rural areas.

A mobile signal does not respect boundaries, it is possible that parts of Wrexham could benefit from a 5G rollout to the south.

Mark Barrow, the Shropshire council’s director of place, said he was working with the West Midlands Combined Authority on the project.

He said: “We are pitching to bring 5G to Shropshire as soon as it is available.

“The West Midlands Combined Authority is bidding to bring it to Birmingham and other areas as soon as it is ready to go.

“We are a non-constituent member of the authority and as part of that we are pitching to bring it here straight away.

“It is a game changer. It will being HD video quality on mobile data. We want to be there and at the forefront of this.

“Current 4G data powers 4,000 mobiles per square kilometre. 5G would be strong enough to power a million.”

Councillor Peter Nutting, council leader, added: “Improving mobile phone service and internet speeds is absolutely vital.

“There are still areas of Shropshire where basic mobile phone signal is a struggle, so we want to transform that and ensure you can run a business from anywhere in Shropshire, no matter how rural it is.”

There has been no similar indications as of yet from Wrexham Council if they are looking to conduct a similar ‘pitch’ on a 5G rollout.

Top pic: mobile streaming of council webcasts, perhaps to see if Wrexham will follow suit.