WEST WORCESTERSHIRE MP Harriett Baldwin has today backed a consultation that looks at ways mobile phone operators might free up their networks to allow people in rural areas to get better mobile phone signals.
The Government announced plans to consult on proposals to allow mobile phone customers to ‘roam’ onto other networks to help them to get better signals.
Over 15 per cent of the county suffers from low coverage, with a much higher percentage in rural parts of Worcestershire and Harriett raised the problems faced by people living in Pershore and Upton-upon-Severn only this week with Culture Secretary Sajid Javid.
Harriett has met with mobile phone operators to see what can be done to boost coverage in rural areas but this consultation will look at freeing up the mobile networks to allow customers to get the best possible signal.
Harriett said: “I'm not a technical expert, but when I travel overseas I seem to get more of a signal than in Martley, Pershore or Upton. '
“I was not surprised to see how much of the county is getting poor coverage and we need to make sure that in this day and age, mobile phone service is universal.
“As more homes and businesses rely on mobiles rather than landlines, it seems right that the Government is acting to ensure that people aren’t let down by their own phone operator. Please do write to me about not spots."
“I encourage people to download the Rootmetrics application which maps and reports phone signals. This will help to make the case to Government that we need this ‘roaming’ measure sooner rather than later.”
The Rootmetrics mobile phone app can be found at http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/products/coveragemap-mobile-app.