Debate contribution: Mobile Coverage in Rural Areas

Debate contribution by Mr Patsy McGlone on 24 September 2024.

MLA

Mr Patsy McGlone

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

24 September 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Mobile Coverage in Rural Areas

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4644984

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome today's motion and the opportunity to highlight the need for better provision of high-quality mobile coverage in rural communities across the North, but this is not exclusively about rural communities, as I will come to in a moment or two. People need mobile coverage, whether it is to check on kids at school, make an appointment with the doctor, do everyday business or help to promote their businesses. In an area such as mine, many people are self-employed and are on the move quite a bit, and they need a decent mobile signal to help them to run their business. I represent a mostly rural constituency, and, as other rural representatives clearly outlined today, we are kindred spirits when it comes to our constituents' experiences with the mobile signal. I frequently get complaints, more so recently, from across the constituency about the poor quality of the mobile signal and areas where the signal drops out. There is another element that others and I have noticed, and my colleague Mr McGrath referred to it in his contribution: a previously reasonable or half-decent mobile signal that has deteriorated and dropped off. I do not know the technological reasons for that, but it is happening. I have had complaints from people in Magherafelt, the Coagh area and Cookstown about the deteriorating signal. I cannot understand why that should be the case, but it is clearly happening. Whether the Assembly chooses to criticise the Infrastructure Minister, as in the motion, or opts to praise the Economy Minister, as in the amendment, people's experience will not change. They want to know what is being done to improve the signal so they can get on with their daily lives and businesses. The reality is that from the publication of the 'Mobile Action Plan for Northern Ireland (MAP NI)' on 23 June 2022 until February of this year, there was no Infrastructure Minister or Economy Minister. However, the barrier busting task force has apparently met during that time. Its oversight group, which includes members from DAERA, the Department for the Economy, the Department of Education, the Department of Finance, the Department for Infrastructure, the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Full Fibre NI Consortium, Mobile UK, local government heads of planning and Ofcom, has met seven times. Its communication subgroup has met 11 times, the planning subgroup has met just twice, as has been referred to, and the publicly owned assets subgroup has only met twice. Earlier this month, in response to an Assembly question for written answer, the Economy Minister stated that he had asked his officials to discuss a delivery framework with all task force members at the next meeting. He also said that he would publish that when it was available. Perhaps a member of the Executive could provide an update on the progress of that delivery timetable — I do not know whether the Minister is in a position to do that today, but we will hear later on — because it is clear that it is an Executive issue. It is not an issue solely for the Infrastructure or Economy Ministers. Rural communities are being left behind in digital connectivity, as was the case with the roll-out of high-speed broadband. Unless the task force starts to deliver on addressing the barriers to extending the 4G and 5G mobile networks in rural areas and some of the rural towns, the Shared Rural Network will continue to come up against those barriers. If the issue is planning, let us see the task force proposals to address that. If putting masts on publicly owned assets will improve mobile coverage in rural areas, let us see the task force proposals on that too. If there are other issues, let us see the task force proposals. A continued failure to deliver will mean that rural communities, rural villages and rural towns will continue to endure poor-quality mobile coverage. It will also mean that they — by that, I mean "we" — will continue to be left behind by the Executive. I look forward to hearing the proposals, I look forward to hearing about the work of the oversight group, and I look forward to hearing from the Executive on what is happening to address the deficiencies in what many in other areas regard as an everyday service.

724 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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