Effective as of 4 July 2022, Jones will succeed Paul Young, who retires later this month. In his new role, he will lead the DMSL team in delivering the publicly funded part of the company's programme.
In addition, he will work alongside Building Digital UK (BDUK), Ofcom and the four mobile operators to implement coverage improvements across the UK and drive value for public spend.
Once completed, the shared rural network will deliver 4G coverage to a minimum of 95% of the UK, with particular improvements to mobile coverage for rural communities, businesses and visitors.
The £1 billion programme sees industry and government working together to deliver faster and more reliable mobile connectivity to boost productivity and investment in rural areas.
Jones enters the role with decades of experience in the UK mobile market, having worked for the likes of Virgin Mobile, Virgin Media, EE and Three.
Specifically, he previously managed Virgin’s mobile and off-net broadband technologies, Three’s mobile network for 3G, 4G and its preparation for 5G, and, as a Board Member of MBNL, helped manage the EE/Three network sharing arrangements and roll outs.
Most recent, Jones worked for Pure Planet, a technology-first renewable energy retailer serving the residential market, where he was chief technology officer.
DMSL, is a joint venture of all four mobile operators (BT, Three, Virgin Media 02 and Vodafone), Three and Vodafone), which manages and runs the SRN programme and provides reporting and tracking information for the programme.
