THREE Isle of Wight villages are to have the 4G coverage boosted by EE.

It is part of a scheme to extend rural connectivity in 2021, as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme across the UK.

A total of 579 locations across the UK will be upgraded this year as part of the programme, including the A3056 area of Blackwater, the village of Chillerton, and the Thorncross area of Brighstone.

SRN is a programme between the UK’s four mobile network operators and the government to extend 4G coverage to 95 per cent of the UK’s geography by the middle of this decade.

The upgrades announced today fall under the first phase of the SRN, where EE will invest to significantly reduce ‘partial not-spots’ by 2024.

Philip Jansen, chief executive of BT Group, said: “Reliable connectivity is important

wherever you live, work or travel, and we’re committed to improving and adding coverage to

even the most remote areas.

"The investment BT has made in rural areas to date means we already have the infrastructure in place needed to extend our 4G coverage footprint further, minimising the number of new sites we need to build.

"There are many places where EE is the only provider with 4G coverage today, offering the other operators an opportunity to share our existing sites to plug gaps in their networks and improve mobile performance for everyone.”

EE has extended its 4G network to cover areas with high summer demand, including beauty spots, national parks, coastal locations and roads.