Deputy Charlie McConalogue
Deputy Charlie McConalogue has called for increased co-operation between mobile phone companies operating in the border region.
Deputy McConalogue says border residents have to deal with significant mobile phone disruption on a daily basis as a result of patchy network coverage in the region.
“Significant advances have been made across Europe in increasing co-operation between mobile phone operators in recent years. The scrapping of roaming charges in the EU from 2017 is a welcome development, but not enough has been done to deal with unreliable mobile phone service while in the border region,” explained the Inishowen Deputy.
“When driving within a few miles of border areas, mobile phone users regularly see their mobile phone coverage switching between networks – this can result in a total loss of service for a time and additional charges. This is not only causing a significant inconvenience for families, but also for businesses operating in the border region.”
“Increased mobile phone and the greater prevalence of smartphones means it is more important than ever that people have access to a reliable phone network. We need to improve the quality of the phone network if we want to enable local businesses to succeed and thrive. We must support our SMEs by providing the communication networks they require to do business.”
“The Government must increase its efforts to ensure greater cross border co-operation in this area. One proposal that should be given serious consideration is for Ofcom and Comreg, both of whom are responsible for communication regulation north and south of the border respectively, to operate a joint service in the border region to help promote inter-network connectivity.”
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