As part of her long running campaign to see mobile coverage improved in rural Aberconwy, Janet Finch-Saunders MS has welcomed progress being made by the Home Office in Conwy County.
Having written to Matt Warman MP, Minister for Digital Infrastructure, with a request that he advise as to when the masts potentially capable of serving Ysbyty Ifan and the surrounding area will be in place, she has received a positive response from Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State for Crime and Policing, in which he states that:
- the Home Office is building a further 292 masts, Extended Area Services (EAS), in the most remote and rural areas of Britain;
- 4G commercial mobile phone coverage will generally be available to EE customers as soon as these masts are activated for Emergency Services Network;
- The EAS masts will also be made available to the Shared Rural Network (SRN): a partnership between Government and industry to increase mobile coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by the end of the programme;
- The contract for connecting all 292 EAS masts to the network is expected to be awarded in the Autumn.
There are five EAS mast sites being developed which should benefit Aberconwy
Commenting on the UK Government’s investment in improving connectivity in Aberconwy, Janet said:
“The pandemic has highlighted the detrimental impact poor connectivity has on businesses and people’s lives.
“It is astonishing that there are areas of Aberconwy without mobile signal and 4G in 2021, so I am delighted that the UK Government is investing in addressing this.
“With Extended Area Services being pursued by the Home Office for communities including Penmachno, Ysbyty Ifan, and Capel Curig, I am pleased that the UK Government is delivering on my calls to improve mobile coverage in our area”.
ENDS
Documents:
- Letter to Matt Warman MP, Minister for Digital Infrastructure
- Letter from Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State for Crime and Policing
Table: Extended Area Services Masts for Aberconwy
