Scotland's largest study of mobile phone connectivity is underway thanks to the help of bin lorries.

The mobile coverage survey is being carried out across council areas within Glasgow City Region with the assistance of refuse vehicles to help support communities and businesses throughout the Region.

Bin lorries are being used to drive the study by hosting equipment which will gather data about the strength of signal from the UK’s four mobile operators, street by street while people’s bins are being emptied.  

The information will then be made available on an interactive ‘coverage checker’ map for people to see which mobile networks offer the fastest speeds outside of the home, workplace or other locations of interest.  

The initiative launched in Inverclyde on Friday and will be rolled out to North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire, South Lanarkshire, Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, and East Renfrewshire on a rotational basis in the coming weeks and months.

The work is part of the Glasgow City Region Smart and Connected Social Places programme. It is funded through the UK Government Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 5G Innovation Regions programme and is being delivered by leading connectivity solutions providers Streetwave and Commsworld.

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The study will help to identify areas that have little or no mobile coverage and data will be used to lobby providers to make wireless technology improvements to allow individuals and organisations to make informed decisions about which providers to choose. It will also help boost public and private sector service delivery.

There will be a particular focus on looking at ways to improve connectivity for the health and social care sector with staff and service users increasingly using mobile devices to carry out work and access support.

Director of Regional Economic Growth, Kevin Rush said:  “This is the biggest network mapping project of its kind in Scotland - so it goes without saying that it’s a hugely exciting one to be part of.

“The data collected will serve a dual purpose. Firstly, it will help businesses identify the most effective connectivity solutions for their operations, empowering them to make informed decisions that enhance their productivity and competitiveness.

“Secondly, it will enable the partnership to lobby mobile operators more effectively, advocating for necessary improvements in digitally excluded communities to benefit residents and businesses alike.

“Being connected has never been more important and this project will give the partnership and, most importantly, the people and businesses throughout the City Region the tools they need to ensure they are getting the best possible service.”

The new coverage checker, which will be rolled out at a later date and after data is collected, will allow people to find the provider with the strongest mobile signal for their address.

People will be able to see the signal strength that EE, Vodafone, Three and O2/Virgin Media offer within a 30-metre radius outside of their homes/businesses.

Councillor Paul Cassidy, Inverclyde Council’s vice-convener of environment and regeneration, said: “Mobile phones and the internet are vital tools in everyday life whether at home, at work, or out and about.

“With technology constantly evolving, we must ensure we have the level of connectivity required to cope with demand to support existing employees, residents, and businesses and encourage more people to live, work, visit, and do business in Inverclyde and across the Glasgow City Region.

“It’s exciting for Inverclyde to be leading the way with this initiative by becoming the first Glasgow City Region council to install the data gathering equipment in our bin lorries and we look forward to seeing the results and feeding into the wider project.”

Leading connectivity solutions provider Streetwave will deploy its innovative data collection equipment on the bin trucks of the participating councils, ensuring comprehensive data collection at every address along their routes.

Portable data collection units will also be used in Glasgow during foot surveys in the city centre and at key stadiums, including Hampden, Ibrox, Celtic Park and Scotstoun at peak times and during major events.

Craig Scott, Public Sector Development Director, from Commsworld, said: “We are delighted to be working with Streetwave to deliver this hugely important study. Glasgow City Region is a large geographical area with a population approaching two million people. The insights gathered will be used to identify those in the City Region where current access to effective mobile signals and connectivity is either lacking or needs to improve. Ultimately this will benefit everyone – residents, businesses and organisations – who lives and works in the west of Scotland.”