Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher has called on Comreg to intervene with the mobile phone operators to improve the service provision which they are currently offering their customers in Donegal.
He said the quality of service and availability of mobile signals has greatly deteriorated in Donegal over the past year.
He added that the current network is neither fit for purpose nor able to cater for the increased volume of mobile phone customers.
Deputy Gallagher said “Comreg have a statutory role in regulating the sector in terms of service provision, in that regard many parts of Donegal and throughout Ireland have very poor or no signal at all”.
He added it is essential that areas have full and complete access to mobile phone coverage; it is an essential that mobile phone operators are made accountable in terms of their license provision by Comreg.
“Comreg need to review the terms and conditions of the mobile phone license allocation in line with similar actions in other European countries recently, currently Comreg only compel mobile phone providers to provide 70% to 90% coverage on a nationwide basis’s”.
He added that this has a very negative impact on lesser populated areas such as parts of rural Donegal, as mobile phone providers can fulfil the terms of their licence without providing a service to more remote, rural and less populated areas.
Deputy Gallagher stated “mobile phone companies should be compelled to co located with other services on existing masts/infrastructure, they should also be compelled to provide 100% nationwide coverage, especially with advances in technology in this sector”. Pat the Cope concluded by stating that “Comreg are ideally empowered as a statutory body to bring forward the necessary changes and regulations to the Department of Communications in order to make this a legal requirement on mobile phone operators.”
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