After a spate of complaints from residents at the deterioration in mobile coverage, a Mid Wales Assembly Member has called for mobile operators to make a concerted effort to tackle mobile coverage issues in the region.
Russell George, the AM for Montgomeryshire, who also chairs the National Assembly's Cross Party Group on Digital Communications, will be convening a meeting of mobile network operators this Autumn, to discuss ways in which coverage can be improved in Mid Wales.
Mr George said:
I think it's important to bring all 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.
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 rural areas is that mobile coverage has actually got worse.
I have been contacted by frustrated residents in my constituency who have asked me to press for an improvement in mobile coverage, the lack of which still affects a significant number of people, both in urban areas of my constituency such as Newtown as well as more rural areas such as Llanwddyn.
I believe that mandatory roaming and compulsory sharing of mobile infrastructure are the two most practical solutions which will resolve this issue. However, in addition to these measures, I will also be looking to Ofcom and Government to remove any barriers which are preventing the development of mobile infrastructure in Mid Wales.
If you are experiencing on-going mobile coverage issues or have experienced a deterioration in service, Russell would like to hear from you. Please email [email protected] or phone 01686 610887 to report any problems.