Better mobile phone coverage and higher capacity in Luleå archipelago

A 45-metre-high mobile mast mainly funded by public agencies (in Swedish: Samhällsmast) has been constructed on the island of Storbrändön in Luleå archipelago. The mast strengthens the civil preparedness and improves security for, among others, maritime traffic in the area. The mast offers better coverage and more capacity for mobile telephony and broadband services to people across the archipelago.

“The mast improves the availability for residents, visitors and companies in Luleå archipelago. For those in the archipelago, a good mobile phone coverage is crucial to be able to communicate with others. The decision by Luleå Municipality to co-fund modern infrastructure and grant a construction permit shows that they take the need seriously and prioritise investments in the archipelago,” says Annika Svensson, project leader at Luleå University of Technology and assistant coordinator in the project Rural ICT Testbed – #fulltäckning.

Volumes in the Port of Luleå are estimated to quadruple

Luleå is a city characterised by maritime traffic and Port of Luleå is the biggest bulk port in Sweden. As a whole, the port is the fifth largest port in the country. Thanks to state-owned icebreakers and ice-breaking tugs, the navigation channel and the port are available also in winter. Each year, more than eight million tonnes of goods are shipped to and from the Port of Luleå. As a result of the industrial expansions in northern Sweden, the volumes are estimated to quadruple. The mast on Storbrändön is crucial for the expansion of Port of Luleå. There are over 1,000 islands in Luleå archipelago, with a vivid boat life and possibilities to rent cabins. The interest in visiting the archipelago simply grows – and to be able to visit it while having access to a well-functioning mobile network becomes increasingly important.

A wholly or partly public-funded mast may improve the mobile phone coverage across a larger area where commercial conditions alone for expanding a mobile network do not exist. It also enables more mobile operators to share the infrastructure. Public-funded masts are high lattice mast constructions, where several operators may place their own antennas or share them with each other. Besides providing potential for better coverage, public-funded masts are also important for improving the transmission capacity in a geographical area. By an increased capacity, more people and connected technology can use the mobile phone network simultaneously, without experiencing bad quality or slow connectivity. Improved and extended coverage in an area may lead to, for example, people moving into the area and increased tourism, as a result of more people becoming interested in and feeling secure to visit the area, and having access to communication services. In addition, the mast improves mobile communication at sea.

Increased safety

The public-funded mast on Storbrändön is a partnership between several actors both within and outside the project #fulltäckning. The project partner MW Cyber as part of the MW Group  and Scanmast, are responsible for the installation of the public-funded mast on Storbrändön, being specialists in installations and connectivity in harsh terrain.

The project #fulltäckning has played an important role in enabling the construction of the public-funded mast on Storbrändön, the first public-funded mast of its kind in northern Sweden. The mast is located on the highest spot on the island, known as “Knöppeln”. The project is a partnership within the Vinnova programme Challenge-driven Innovation, stage 3, where some 30 partners work together to improve the coverage and create opportunities for people to live and work throughout the country. In areas where no commercial expansion of the mobile network will take place, the mobile coverage can increase through the construction of public-funded masts and thus avoid the exclusion of these areas from the digital society. The long-term goal for #fulltäckning is to create attractive and competitive rural areas having access to mobile coverage.

“ We are presently looking for more places that may be of interest for similar installations. In the near future, the project will install more off-grid base stations along the King’s trail south of Abisko in the Swedish mountains,” says Annika Svensson.

Partners in the project #fulltäckning involved in the construction of the public-funded mast on Storbrändön are: Luleå University of Technology, Luleå Municipality, Swedish Transport Administration, MW Cyber, Radio Innovation, Luleå Archipelago Association and Småskären Economic Association.

Other stakeholders involved in the construction of the public-funded mast on Storbrändön are: Landowners Margareta Rönnqvist and Maria Öqvist, Storbrändön Marina and Road Association, Scanmast and Telia Towers.