(Image: Sandy Young)
The UK’s five worst-performing local authorities for 4G coverage are all in Scotland, according to Ofcom data.
The Highland Council area has the lowest predicted proportion of geographic coverage across all three mobile operators in the UK, at 60.85%.
Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Argyll and Bute, and South Ayrshire make up the rest of the five local authority areas with the lowest predicted coverage.
Tom Sime, chief executive of Exchange Communications, said: "Scotland's rural economy has enormous potential, but if we want to unlock that potential, we need to think carefully about the infrastructure that allows businesses and communities to thrive."
He added: "That means roads, energy, housing and skills, but increasingly it also means something that can be much easier to overlook - mobile connectivity."
The figures were highlighted in new Ofcom data, as reported by The Herald. They show the continuing difficulty of providing mobile services across Scotland’s rural and remote areas.
Mr Sime said connectivity should be treated as part of economic development planning, rather than considered only after other decisions have been made.
He said: "This is not simply a question of whether someone can make a phone call or check their emails. Reliable connectivity has become a fundamental part of how people live, work and do business."
For rural businesses, mobile services can support payments, bookings, communication and contact with customers. They can also help firms reach wider markets and allow people to work flexibly.
Mr Sime said: "For rural Scotland, that makes improving mobile networks an economic development issue. We have some of the most ambitious plans for growth in the country's rural and remote areas, alongside globally-recognised industries, outstanding tourism assets and communities that are increasingly able to embrace flexible and remote working."
He added: "But those ambitions need the right foundations."
Businesses considering investment, expansion or relocation may need to assess the available connectivity. The same applies to entrepreneurs building digital businesses from rural communities, and to distilleries, hotels and visitor attractions that depend on digital systems.
Mr Sime said: "The same is true for attracting people to live and work in rural Scotland. Connectivity can help businesses access wider markets, enable flexible working and make rural communities more attractive places to build a career and a life."
Mr Sime said: "That is why I believe mobile connectivity needs to become an earlier consideration for ambitious councils and local economies."
Exchange Communications has worked on projects across Scotland, including in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as island communities in Shetland and Orkney.
Installing 4G and 5G services can be more difficult in some places than others. However, the company said planning should consider future needs, as well as existing coverage.
Mr Sime said: "When a council is developing an economic strategy, planning a new development or looking at how it can attract investment, the question should not simply be whether there is mobile coverage today. It should be whether the connectivity infrastructure is capable of supporting the economic ambition being set for that place tomorrow."
He said: "There is clearly a challenge in delivering infrastructure across Scotland's geography. Our rural and remote communities can be some of the most difficult and expensive places to connect., but that makes strategic thinking even more important."
Building a network in an area is only the first stage. Businesses, buildings and visitor destinations also need equipment that allows them to use the service.
Mr Sime said: "Getting the network into an area is the first step. We then need to make sure businesses, buildings and destinations are equipped to make the most of it. That means thinking about connectivity as a journey from the wider network through to the experience people have when they arrive at a workplace, hotel, attraction or commercial development."
He added: "Scotland has an opportunity to build on the investment already being made in rural 4G and use it as a platform for wider economic growth."
Mr Sime said mobile connectivity should form part of discussions about investment, business support and plans for rural communities.
He said: "Connectivity is no longer a nice-to-have. It is part of the infrastructure that underpins a modern rural economy."
He added: "The ambition should be to create a Scotland where geography does not prevent businesses from being competitive, communities from being connected or people from accessing opportunities."