Thursday 28 March 2024
 6.8°C   E Moderate Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / No quick fix for mobile phone coverage

IMPROVING the poor mobile phone coverage in Shetland will take a long time and requires some innovative thinking, according to the industry body Mobile Operators Association.

Shetland MSP Tavish Scott met with representatives from the MOA as well as industry regulator Ofcom in Glasgow on Tuesday to discuss how some of the £150 million, announced by the UK government to improve the mobile network in rural areas, could be channelled towards the isles.

As it turned out no details of the scheme announced by chancellor George Osborne in early October were yet available.

The aim of the scheme is to increase mobile coverage to 99 per cent of the UK whereas at present only 90 per cent of Scotland and Wales gets a signal with many rural areas being far worse off.

Speaking after the meeting, John Cooke, an executive director with the MOA, said there was no “quick fix” to resolve the problem but insisted mobile operators were committed to work with communities and the government to find solutions.

Essentially, providing mobile phone connections in sparsely populated areas is commercially unattractive for companies, although they acknowledge that coverage is not as good as it could be.

Mr Cooke said: “There are areas in the country where there is no viable commercial business case, and where it is difficult and more expensive to provide a network infrastructure.

“The operators are keen to work with operators to extend coverage as far as possible, and part of the solution might well be the £150 million fund, possibly with some EU money as well.”

He said that recent solutions for providing better broadband to many rural communities, such as partnerships between operators and local government, could well be the model for also improving the mobile phone networks.

“At the moment we all wait to hear the details of what the new government money is all about, and how that can be deployed. We haven’t seen details of that and as far as I am aware the operators haven’t seen much detail either,” Mr Cooke said.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

 

“This is not something that can be solved overnight with a magic wand. Certainly we will continue talking to everybody involved and see how government money can be leveraged into areas where there is no or poor coverage,” he added.

Mr Scott said the meeting industry representatives had been helpful in that it had been made very clear that “we have a case of market failure here in Shetland”.

He said local communities and the local authority had now to work together to make a case for the isles.

“The next stage therefore is for isles MP Alistair Carmichael to sort out with the department for culture, media and sport how this money is going to be made available and how Shetland can make a case for its share,” he added. 

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 
Categories

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.