MOBILE signal trackers are being fitted in bin lorries to help find Worcestershire’s mobile black spots.

Residents and businesses are also being asked to play their part by letting the council know when and where they experience poor connectivity.

Equipment being placed in bin lorries will measure mobile signals across the county over the next few weeks will allow Worcestershire County Council and network mapping company Streetwave to collect detailed street-level data.

This will then be used to lobby the government, network operators and telecoms watchdog Ofcom to improve connectivity in the county.

Adam Kent, the council’s cabinet member for economy and skills, said: “I hear from many people around the county that the mobile signal in certain areas is worse than it was 12 months ago.

“It’s a priority of mine, and the council, to do what we can to understand where, why, and what is needed to improve this as we understand the negative impact this can have.

READ MORE: Bin lorries to help improve mobile signal in Worcestershire

“The first step is getting a better understanding of where the issues are and with the data collection from the bin lorries, this will help.”

But he said the input of people who live and work in the county would also be invaluable.

“If a bin lorry goes out on a Tuesday morning, it will measure what the signal is like on a Tuesday morning,” he said. “But you and I know exactly where the signal drops out when we’re on our daily travels - so we want individuals and businesses to fill in our survey.”

The bin lorry data collection initiative is being funded with support from the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region, which has been awarded £3.75m of funding from the government to support the growth of wireless innovation and technology. 

It’s being rolled out across the rest of the River Severn catchment area and is the largest mobile coverage survey of its kind ever undertaken.

Henry Rutland, operations director at Streetwave, said: “This initiative represents the largest mobile coverage survey ever undertaken across the UK - with data being collected across 31,780km of roads across the River Severn region.

“This information will be used to identify communities and businesses that may not have access to effective mobile signal so that connectivity improvements can be made, ultimately benefiting the 3.5 million residents in the region.”

He said around 20 boxes will be sent out on bin lorries initially in Bromsgrove and Redditch before going elsewhere in the county. They will also travel with county council officers on trains.

Each box contains four Samsung S21 smartphones, each connected to one of the UK’s four network providers - EE, Vodafone, Three and O2.

You can log incidents of poor mobile connectivity using the council’s mobile connectivity survey.