MP to hold debate on 'shoddy' mobile phone signal

A Shropshire MP will call for improvements to mobile phone coverage in the county in a debate in Parliament on Thursday, after hearing from more than 400 residents.

Liberal Democrat MP for north Shropshire, Helen Morgan said service was "shoddy" and will call on operators, Ofcom and the government to deliver improvements.

She will tell the Commons about experiences her constituents have reported, including one "living next door to a phone mast" who can't make a call.

Mobile UK, representing the main mobile operators, said firms were investing billions each year to enhance the UK's digital infrastructure, but it required a regulatory environment to match that ambition.

"We welcome the government's recent Mobile Market Review and ongoing planning consultations as vital steps toward removing the barriers that have historically slowed down the rollout of essential coverage," it said.

"As chair of the Digital Communities APPG [all-party parliamentary group], Helen Morgan has rightly highlighted that planning reform is one of the changes needed to ensure no community is left behind in the digital age.

"By aligning these reforms with industry investment, we can deliver the modern, resilient mobile connectivity that residents and businesses in North Shropshire and across the UK urgently need."

"People from all over north Shropshire and from all walks of life, have described the daily challenges they face," Morgan said.

"Elderly people, vulnerable people and businesses all struggling to stay connected."

She said one resident from Pant could "just about get a poor signal if you stand in one corner of the garden at the top of the hill", while another from St Martins suggested that "two cups and a bit of string would be better".

The APPG on Digital Communities, chaired by Morgan, in January released a report which called on government to commission an "urgent, independent review of the UK's digital connectivity landscape, alongside stronger regulatory scrutiny by Ofcom".

"Clearly not-spots are not limited to just one network, nor those living far from a mast or in a very rural area. They are everywhere, and on every network. It's unacceptable," she said.

"Unless these people have a good mobile phone signal, there is no way of them contacting the emergency services at home.

"I've had one older couple tell me they could be dead for a week, and no-one would know.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.