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At last - something is happening on a new mast

AndyinSuffolk
Level 2: Apprentice
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About 15 months ago I posted about the difficulties service service providers have in getting a new mast installed in a rural location. (E.g. finding site, planning permission, power supplies etc.)  At that time, the planning application for a mast nearby was a year old and nothing had started at the site. I understand the mast is for O2 and possibly Vodafone services.
The site is about a mile away from me but in line of sight. A few weeks ago a mast suddenly appeared and yesterday, some aerial covers (?) were visible. Today there was more excitement that caused me to get my binoculars! Two operatives (male I think) were at the top of the mast. They had white hard hats, yellow safety harnesses and were wearing shorts.
One thing I hadn't appreciated was how big the aerial/covers are. They are person sized.
Perhaps it won't be too long now before things are switched on. The mobile signal is very patchy. Currently I am getting 4G (LTE) but the signal strength is -112dBm (28 asu) which is on the limits of usability.
Coverage from all mobile operators is bad here, with O2 probably the best. In April I had a landline fault that took 2 weeks to fix. When the Openreach engineer came he had problems testing the line as he couldn't get a mobile signal!

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Bambino
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@AndyinSuffolk  I believe O2 and Vodafone have a mast sharing agreement. With any luck (and a little foresight on the network's part), this new mast might also be in preparation for a 5G signal. You never know your luck.:smileywink:

I DO NOT WORK FOR O2



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AndyinSuffolk
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I am not sure 5G was in mind when the mast was planned. There is a large local 'not-spot' devoid of any operator's signal. Most people round here will be pleased to get a signal - even 2G for voice! However, 5G could make a difference to rural broadband speeds. I am 'lucky' enough to have FTTC but its reliability isn't great and modem raw connection speeds have gone down 30% over the last couple of years, possibly as a result of cross-talk in the copper cables as more users are connected. Openreach say that the speed is still OK. (An engineer told me that if they try to do something it often makes it worse!)

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Martin-O2
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Welcome back to the forums @AndyinSuffolk and thanks for giving us an update on your mast situation. It sounds very promising! 

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