The Government has struck a deal with the major mobile phone networks that will improve mobile coverage across the UK, reducing the areas of bad coverage known as “not spots”.

EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have said that they will invest £5 billion to guarantee coverage over 90% of the UK by 2017. Meanwhile, patchy areas where coverage is available but not for all networks will be reduced by half.

Olaf Swantee, chief executive of EE, said: "This agreement ensures that our customers are able to stay connected in even more places up and down the country."

A Vodafone UK spokesman said it supported the government's objective of delivering better coverage to rural areas including partial not-spots. The voluntary industry commitment we have agreed with the government today will deliver 90% of the UK's land mass with voice services and a major improvement in mobile internet coverage as well.

The agreement overwrites another suggested plan that would have allowed customers of one network to use another if their own wasn’t available.

"I am pleased to have secured a legally binding deal with the four mobile networks," said Culture Secretary Sajid Javid. "Too many parts of the UK regularly suffer from poor mobile coverage leaving them unable to make calls or send texts.”