Cornwall’s food waste trucks to hunt down phone ‘not spots’

You know the move. You lift your phone to make a call, watch the bars flatline, and end up holding the thing above your head in the garden hoping something connects. In parts of Cornwall that little ritual is still a regular event. Now the lorries that empty your food waste caddy are being sent out to find exactly where it keeps happening.

Bin lorries with a second job

Cornwall Council has commissioned a survey to map where mobile coverage across the county is strong and where it stays stubbornly patchy. Instead of leaning on the coverage maps published by the networks, the council is fitting equipment to its fleet of food waste collection trucks, operated by Biffa, and letting them gather the data as they run their normal rounds.

Those rounds go everywhere. The trucks reach each and every corner of the road network, week in and week out, which makes them an unusually thorough way to test signal on lanes a dedicated survey team might never think to drive down.

Expert surveyors Streetwave have been appointed to carry out the study. As the trucks travel, the kit records real-world figures including 4G and 5G availability, download and upload speeds, and how each individual network performs along the way.

Why the maps do not tell the whole story

Coverage has improved across Cornwall in recent years, but predicted coverage and lived experience are often two different things.

Cllr Tim Dwelly, the council’s portfolio holder for economy, regeneration and investment, said: “Our refuse trucks travel to each and every corner of Cornwall, and by using them will be able to gather real-world data including 4G and 5G availability, download and upload speeds and network-specific performance.

“This will provide a better picture of mobile signal performance than coverage predictions alone which can often be inaccurate.

“It will identify areas experiencing poor mobile connectivity across the major network operators, highlighting locations where residents, businesses and visitors face challenges accessing reliable mobile services.

“That will help us identify areas suffering from digital exclusion and enable us to advocate for investment and improvements where the need is greatest.”

George Gibson, partnerships director at Streetwave, said: “Predicted mobile coverage often paints a more optimistic picture than the reality experienced by residents.

“We’re delighted to be working with Cornwall Council to collect real-world mobile performance data across every road in the county, helping identify connectivity gaps and ensure no community is left behind.”

Waste crews doing more than collections

For Biffa, the appeal is that its crews are already out there.

Nick Seviour, Biffa’s general manager for Cornwall, said: “Our crews travel Cornwall’s roads every day, so this is a simple but effective way to gather information from right across the county.

“We’re pleased to be supporting the council beyond waste and recycling collections with a project that will help Streetwave build a clearer picture of where mobile coverage is working well and where improvements are needed.”

The surveying work will be carried out this summer, with the results expected in the early autumn. What the data shows, and which corners of Cornwall turn out to be the real black holes, will not be clear until then.