Currently, there is inadequate indoor and outdoor mobile phone coverage in Calder Vale, with some areas having no service at all.
This is particularly concerning given the recent flooding across the area and drops in electricity – and ahead of the BT Digital Voice switchover where landline calls will be made over the broadband network as the ageing copper network is discontinued.
I have already voiced my concerns to BT on this, particularly for older and more vulnerable people who use telecare systems, and whilst BT have given me some reassurances on dedicated landlines and batteries, it is worrying that with poor mobile coverage residents risk remaining cut off in the even of a power cut.
I have written to the telecommunications company Telefonica UK (O2) asking what they can do to improve the mobile signal in Calder Vale, and my letter to them is below.
UPDATE: 20/12/24 – Response from Virgin O2
I have investigated this matter with our networking engineering team and upon investigation, the team has relayed that our network is this area is working with no known issues, however the distance between our existing sites in the surrounding area in proximity to Calder Vale can impact the signal strength.
We have made our network deployment team aware of the request for more mobile coverage in this area and they will look to assess the need for additional mobile infrastructure to serve customers across the area.
There is a time delay to our ability to upgrade or build new masts as it’s determined by a number of factors from obtaining permission to build a site, finding a suitable new site location including landlord permissions, agreement from the local community and the overall cost of the investment which is generally determined by the level of customer need. Thus, we cannot provide a time frame of when the signal strength in this Calder Vale would likely be improved, but the request is now in the system and will be assessed in that context.
It’s worth noting the network in this area is operated and maintained by Vodafone, who are our infrastructure partner.
I’ve attached a digital copy of our latest Digital Switchover guide so you and your teams can have it on hand to help answer any questions raised by constituents. We would greatly appreciate any support you can give to help ensure that Local Authorities in your area have signed a data sharing agreement so we can have additional support of identifying customers who rely on monitored care alarms or other telecare equipment.
Another crucial element of the digital voice switchover is to raise awareness to your constituents in understanding why landlines need to be switched over to run over modern, broadband networks as the current technology becomes end of life and unsustainable, and for some operators, Virgin Media O2 included, it is likely they will receive important communication about this in 2025. It’s really important that we can all work together to ensure that customers will act on this important information.
Whilst I was able to help Electricity North West secure £40m to improve their rural work following the floods, I’m disappointed that private telecommunications companies are not well-incentivised enough to improve rural mobile connectivity in areas such as Calder Vale.
In 2018 the then-Conservative government pledged full 5G coverage for all populated areas (including rural communities) by 2030. We’re sadly way behind this target.
I do hope that this is something we will see improvement on over the coming years, though I know that some of the immediate priorities the Government has are centred around NHS waiting lists, nurseries and breakfast clubs for our youngest generation, ramping up deportations and fixing pressures in the criminal justice system.