In response to the numerous complaints received in relation to the difficulties experienced by EE customers in Mid Wales, specifically in the Newtown and Llanfyllin areas, Mr George contacted Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, to highlight the issues which have been experienced by residents.
Mr George said:
“After a large spate of complaints from residents at the deterioration in mobile coverage, I have called on mobile operators to make a concerted effort to tackle mobile coverage issues in Montgomeryshire.
“I understand that recent issues can be attributed to EE continuing to decommission mobile masts following a mast sharing agreement between EE and Three, and the deployment of infrastructure to support 4G.
“In recent years, we have heard a lot about the launch of new 4G services and new network sharing agreements between the operators which are supposed to have improved coverage and speeds but the reality in some areas is that mobile coverage has actually got worse.
“Ofcom informs me that EE now intends to take action to alleviate the recent problems in Newtown by providing additional capacity and is considering the possibility of re-commissioning a mast.
“On 13th November, I will also be convening a meeting of mobile network operators for community representatives to discuss ways in which coverage can be improved in Mid Wales. I think it's important to bring the network operators to Mid Wales so that they can hear directly from community leaders about the day to day difficulties which residents experience when trying to make a simple phone call or send a text message.”
If you are experiencing on-going mobile coverage issues or have experienced a deterioration in service, Russell George AM would like to hear from you. Please contact him by email: [email protected] or by phone: 01686 610887 to report any problems.