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<p>As part of the government funded element of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme
£185m in funding will be made available to the Home Office and the Mobile Network
Operators (MNOs) to upgrade Extended Area Service (EAS) masts being built as part
of the Emergency Services Network (ESN). This will help eliminate ‘total not-spots’
- the hard to reach areas where there is currently no coverage from any operator.
The Home Office will make sites available, where possible, for the MNOs to deploy
on them although we recognise that, in some cases, upgrades may not be possible due
to technical, financial or other reasons.</p><p>There are 12 EAS sites in Ceredigion
and these are all being considered for commercial connectivity via the SRN. We are
currently working with the Home Office and MNOs to facilitate sharing as quickly as
possible and the majority of the procurements have now been completed. In addition
I am pleased to update that the Home Office and DCMS are exploring the possibility
of the site in Llanafan being part of a EAS/SRN pilot scheme which will test the processes
we, the Home Office and the MNOs have put in place to allow sharing on these sites
to begin.</p>
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