UK operator Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) completed the first stage of its Shared Rural Network (SRN) commitments in July and is campaigning for further government support for rural connectivity. The CTO of VMO2, Jeanie York, shared her views with Wireless Watch on VMO2’s role in the SRN and elaborates on the view that “mobile data consumption has exploded in recent years.” At the beginning of July, VMO2 said it had completed the first phase of its SRN rollout. This stage required MNOs to upgrade their existing networks to provide coverage in areas where there was some 4G, but not from all four MNOs (EE, Three, Vodafone, and VMO2). Otherwise called partial not-spots. The goal of the SRN is to increase…