Cheshire West and Chester Council partnered with FarrPoint to address mobile connectivity challenges in Chester’s historic city centre. As a result of FarrPoint’s mapping, infill modelling and industry facilitation work, the Council is now actively working with the mobile sector and improving connectivity in central Chester.
(this will open in a new window)Cheshire West and Chester Council recognised ongoing mobile connectivity issues within Chester’s historic city centre, particularly within the city walls. These challenges affected residents, businesses, and visitors, limiting access to reliable mobile services and impeding the city’s appeal as a modern, connected urban hub. To address this, the Council set an ambitious goal: to improve mobile connectivity throughout Chester, ensuring that all stakeholders benefit from better service. FarrPoint, an independent technology consultancy, was engaged to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current situation and explore potential solutions to overcome these challenges.
Chester’s historic city centre poses unique challenges for mobile network improvements. Its conservation area status and the physical constraints of the historic infrastructure make it difficult for mobile operators to deploy new infrastructure. The Council enlisted the help of FarrPoint to develop a strategy to overcome these barriers while addressing varying levels of connectivity across the city, particularly the inconsistent 4G and 5G coverage and speeds across the major UK mobile networks: EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone.
Image showing Chester's historic city walls
Residents, businesses and visitors to Chester have to spend time searching for a signal, reconnecting dropped calls, and waiting for mobile data – it’s clear that all network operators need to improve their network capacity in Chester. This is why Chester’s One City Plan includes actions to improve connectivity. We all rely on good mobile signal and I am delighted new infrastructure will be rolled out during 2025 to connect the City to faster and more reliable services. Thank you to FarrPoint and the network operators for investing in Chester and collaborating with the Council to make this happen.
Councillor Nathan Pardoe, Cheshire West and ChesterFarrPoint conducted a detailed mobile connectivity survey using its innovative Mobile Coverage Mapper. This tool measured signal strength, download and upload speeds, and 4G/5G availability throughout Chester. FarrPoint provided a comprehensive analysis of all four major mobile networks, revealing areas of strength and highlighting significant coverage gaps, particularly within the historic city walls.
In addition to the technical survey, FarrPoint facilitated direct discussions with mobile network operators and neutral host providers to identify any key barriers to improving connectivity, including infrastructure deployment challenges posed by the city’s conservation status.
Based on the findings, FarrPoint worked with the Council to explore practical solutions to address these constraints and delivered a clear and actionable roadmap to Cheshire West and Chester Council, complete with detailed recommendations to enhance mobile connectivity.
As a result of this work, (this will open in a new window)Cheshire West and Chester Council is now actively working with mobile network operators and neutral host providers to deploy the necessary infrastructure required to improve mobile connectivity in the city centre.
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