This year alone Vodafone is spending over £65m to bring 4G to Scotland; this investment comes on top of the £802m that Vodafone spent acquiring the widest portfolio of mobile spectrum in the recent auction by Ofcom.
Ultrafast 4G services will help businesses raise their game by enabling employees to work where they need to, when they need to. Almost nine out of ten business leaders (86%) believe 4G will increase their productivity by providing a genuine ‘in-office’ experience wherever they are, according to recent research by Vodafone. The arrival of competitive 4G services could boost the economy in Glasgow by as much as £61m a year and Edinburgh by £49m a year, with a total lift to Scottish economy of up to £544m a year, according to further independent research.
Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister for Scotland said “The launch of Vodafone’s 4G service will allow businesses in Glasgow and Edinburgh to work faster and more effectively. It also gives the people of Glasgow and Edinburgh the opportunity to access and share more data.
“Vodafone’s announcement today feeds into our vision that Scotland will be a world leading digital nation by 2020. Central to this will be the development of future-proofed infrastructure that supports high quality connectivity on any device, anywhere, at any time. To achieve this we are investing over £240 million to extend next generation broadband access to 95% of premises in Scotland by 2017/18.”