The funding will improve mobile coverage in areas where it is currently poor or non-existent, especially rural areas where it might not be cost-effective for mobile operators to improve coverage.

Cornwall, Northumberland, Strabane, Aberdeenshire and Powys are among the areas that stand to benefit most from the Mobile Infrastructure Project (MIP).

It is hoped that extending mobile phone coverage will provide hundreds of millions of pounds of economic benefits as well as increased safety and security in terms of emergency response.

Communications minister Ed Vaizey said: “This project will see mobile phone coverage extended to many of the people who currently live and work in areas where there is none. The project will provide a significant boost to local economies across the UK, and will be instrumental in helping Britain win the global race.”

Government is providing the capital funding for Arqiva to build the new site infrastructure, while EE, Telefonica, Three and Vodafone will provide coverage from the sites and fund their operating costs for the 20-year life of the project.