A landmark deal by a Conservative minister will ease problems with poor mobile phone reception in Northern Ireland, according to Conservative Party culture spokesman, Neil Wilson. Culture Secretary, Sajid Javid, has secured a binding agreement with the major networks to tackle signal issues in so-called ‘partial not spots’.
“My Conservative colleague has secured a remarkable commitment from EE, O2, Three and Vodafone to improve network coverage”, Neil explained. “They’ve agreed to invest £5 billion in improving mobile phone infrastructure by 2017. Full coverage from all four operators will increase from 69% to 85% by that year, with voice and text services going up to 90%. It’s great news for Northern Ireland, both for consumers and businesses.”
“The Assembly has not done anything to tackle the issue of poor mobile phone coverage here. In contrast Conservatives in government have recognised the vital importance of mobile connectivity. Sajid Javid has been working hard for some time to resolve these issues. This deal is legally binding, it won’t cost the taxpayer a penny and it commits the networks to a substantially improved service. It proves once again that it is the Conservative Party, rather than Stormont, which delivers consistently for Northern Ireland.”