Better Mobile Coverage in Ely, Cambridgeshire

The importance of mobile communication infrastructure for the support of activities and wellbeing in rural Ely cannot be under estimated. Access to an effective communications network is an economic and social lifeline and a necessity if people are to participate in modern society.

Modern communication is the key to improving access to education, employment opportunities and the delivery of services and the subsequent injection of life into local economy. Having the infrastructure to make this happen right now is crucial to Ely’s development and future posterity.

In some areas of Ely city centre, including outlying residential areas, there is limited - and in some cases, no-mobile phone coverage. These areas are known as not-spots, and their existence has important implications for the ways in which individuals conduct their work, family and social lives.

Ofcom identifies five categories of not-spot: complete not-spots (no coverage at all), gaps in 3G coverage where only 2G coverage is available (i.e. mobile broadband is unavailable), not spots affecting a specific network operator, and poor or unreliable coverage either on the move or indoors, where networks are ostensibly available.

This petition is to call for action from the MP for South East Cambridgeshire, Ofcom and mobile operators to improve mobile phone coverage in rural Ely, including an exploration of the reasons why many not-spots exist.

Thousands of consumers who are accepting poor service without a fuss is simply wrong. Whether or not the provider thinks signal issues are serious, they are, in each case.