cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
1

Ask

2

Reply

3

Solution

Vodafone Rural Open Sure Signal - #ROSS100

Retired-Simon
Moderator (Retired)
Moderator (Retired)

What is Rural Open Sure Signal?

 

Our new Rural Open Sure Signal programme (#ROSS100) will see our Open Sure Signal boxes deployed in 100 rural communities across the UK, enabling people in those places to benefit from this potentially life-changing tech.

 

Places that sit in geographical basins, have very small populations or where (due to planning restrictions or legal considerations) we can’t put radio antennas, are very difficult to reach with traditional mobile kit. That’s why we developed Open Sure Signal – to take a different approach.

 

Using a more powerful version of the same technology found in our home Sure Signal devices, we’ve been able to bring 3G coverage to 12 UK villages in our initial trial. Cranborne in Dorset was one of the first to feel the benefit, and you can read all about how we made a difference there by visiting the Vodafone Blog.

 

What do I need to apply?

 

It’s a community-led initiative. It’s up to the people in each town or village to rally together and apply with the help of a volunteer ‘Village Champion’.

 

That means that if you live in a mobile signal not-spot area and think it’s time for a change, it could be you that helps bring our 3G mobile signal to your rural community.

 

Before sending us your application, make sure your community has:

 

  •          Nominated a Village Champion
  •          Suitable sites where we can install Open Sure Signal units
  •          Permission from landlords and property owners to use these sites
  •          A minimum of 4Mbps broadband speed at each site
  •          Support from your local parish council, MP, AM or MSP

 

To find out more, see our FAQs.

 

Applications for Rural Open Sure Signal close on 14 October 2014, and we’ll begin rolling the tech out to the first of our chosen locations by the end of the year. Good luck!

 

What support will be available?

 

Nominated Village Champions will have access to a dedicated #ROSS100 community board on our eForum.

 

The Village Champion will need to register on the eForum and provide their username.

 

This will be the place to discuss the impact Rural Sure Signal is having on your community, talk to other Village Champions and give feedback to Vodafone.

16 REPLIES 16

techmind
4: Newbie

How 'rural' do you have to be to qualify for Rural Open Sure Signal?

I live in Great Shelford, a village about 3 miles to the south of Cambridge, and the 3G signal is really poor there. Even the railway station platforms have practically zero signal. Could you consider ROSS here - or would you only consider really rural villages?

 

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/our-network-and-coverage/uk-coverage-map/index.htm?=network

Enter: "Great Shelford" as the location, and look at 3G coverage.

Nearly all the networks have poor coverage in Great Shelford (Orange barely even manages a 2G voice signal!) - yet it is not really 'geographically challenged'. Is there any reason you can't put a base-station in the village?

 

Could we apply for ROSS just for one small new estate?

 

For the ROSS system, do you piggyback on the landlords broadband connection, or does Vodafone contract their own broadband?

 

Thanks.

DaveCD
Moderator (Retired)
Moderator (Retired)

Hi techmind.

 

Anywhere that has little or no signal can apply.

 

Follow the link on above and let us know how you get on.

 

DaveCD

Would someone be able to come from Vodafone to talk to several villagers at a parish council meeting about getting Vodafone sure signal for the village and what is required?

Hi @Kulwicki123 ,

 

If you get in touch here, we’ll be able to arrange for someone to visit your parish council meeting to discuss this further.

 

Hi @nic2109 ,

 

This is for Vodafone customers only, as it uses the same technology as our standard Sure Signal.

 

I’ve just checked the links on the FAQ’s page and they worked okay.

 

Which web browser are you using? I just used it in Google Chrome.

 

Thanks,

 

Simon

The FAQ pages (both the general Sure Signal and ROSS) are working for me too today on Safari. So Finger-trouble (aka "RTFM") is the principal suspect!

 

Thanks for the response.

4mb broadband who are you kidding. How about making our suresignal work. 

Hi. Sorry about the long interval.......

 

Even as it's only Vodafone this might be of interest, but as our village would require 3 (at least) to ensure that it's all covered what would your response be? It's small in population - around 250-300 - but is spread out along 3 roads, and if the range is only 500m then one in the middle of the village would only get perhaps a quarter of the population. While that would be better than nothing it woud be much harder to sell to the villagers!

 

This cannot be a new situation; what do you suggest in these cases?

Retired-Kay
Moderator (Retired)
Moderator (Retired)

Hi nic2109, 

 

We don't have any say in the decisions or whether this would be allowed. 

 

If you apply using the link in Simon's post, you'll be contacted after 14 October. 

 

Thanks, 

 

Kay

nic2109
3: Seeker
3: Seeker

I'minterested in this initiative as I live in a "Not-spot" where 2G (let alone 3G) coverage is very flaky.

 

I assume that this covers Vodafone only, or have you "done the right thing" and co-operated with the other networks at all?  Is anyone else involved too?

 

I'd be much more interested in championing this if it were for the benefit of everyone in my community and not just Vodafone customers.

 

Regards. Nick

 

PS. The FAQs page is broken. None of the links open the answers!