Bin wagon tech will track rubbish signal

BIN wagons are being fitted with tech to track mobile signal blackspots, as part of a government scheme to improve coverage across the region.

- By KIRSTIE MCCRUM [e-mail]

The scheme, which is being delivered by digital mapping specialists Inakalum, is using smartphones installed in refuse collection lorries to monitor real-time mobile signal strength as they go about their regular routes.

By working with the region's five local authorities and their refuse crews, the collected data will be used to create the most detailed and accurate picture yet of mobile phone coverage across Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton.

The project has been funded with the help of £32,490 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

The mapping equipment collects performance data from all four major mobile networks and captures real-world signal quality, rather than relying on operator-predicted coverage maps.