MPs Challenge Mobile Operators To Up Their Game In East Yorkshire

Campaigning Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness, Graham Stuart, has joined MPs from across East Yorkshire in a Westminster Hall debate calling on mobile phone operators to up their game in East Yorkshire.

During the debate Graham highlighted the importance of mobile phone services to businesses and called on the Government to do more to insist the mobile operators up their game in East Yorkshire and beyond.

Commenting on the problem Graham said, “I welcome the new deal the Government secured with mobile operators shortly before Christmas that will see guaranteed voice and text coverage from each operator across 90 per cent of the UK geographic area by 2017 but we need to go much further.

“Residents are increasingly turning to mobile devices for internet services and are demanding data on the move. Many people are paying for these services through their mobile phone contract but are not able to access the services due to lack of connectivity where they live and work. We need 3G and 4G services available much sooner.”

Beverley resident and telecommunications expert, Andrew Work said, “I work with telecommunications infrastructure all over the world, including sub-Saharan Africa. I am pleased to see Graham is taking this matter seriously and pressing the Government to intervene urgently”.

“The Government need to go much further to ensure that the fixed and mobile operators provide the service their customers are paying for. This needs to include the introduction of targets for signal strength and cell capacity with sanctions for failing to meet those targets.”

“Due to the poor telecommunications infrastructure in the East Riding, I had to move my business back to the Netherlands where a town the size of Beverley has 20- 30 mobile phone cells instead of the one or two we currently have at home.”

“Providing multiple cells also has the advantage of smaller (and lower) base stations, so less intrusive radio masts. Hull and the East Riding has no geographical problems. There are no tunnels, no concrete/steel high density buildings, and no mountainous regions. In terms of radio propagation the area is probably one of the most favourable in Europe! There is no excuse whatsoever for such outrageously poor coverage by any of the operators.”