Correspondence sent to Ofcom from the Parish Council
Dear Sir / Madam,
I am writing on behalf of Hinton Blewett Parish Council. Hinton Blewett is a small village in a rural location with poor mobile phone coverage both outside and inside buildings.
The mobile checker on your website has been used to check the mobile availability and confirms the experience of residents, that for all mobile network providers the village, there is poor coverage and there are likely to be problems for both voice and data connections.
This concern was raised three years ago, part of the response given was that mobile services were expected to be improved. Since this response, there has been little improvement to mobile services in the area and it appears very unlikely to change in the near future.
This is a significant concern for the community, in view of the planned disconnection of the copper wire network, both in terms of safety during an emergency and in terms of wellbeing of vulnerable residents. The alternative of phone communication via a fibre network is not a workable or reasonable solution for two reasons:
The first issues is that communication on the fibre network requires a reliable electricity supply. The electricity supply in the village has been shown to be unreliable with repeated power cuts – we have had 13 power cuts in the last 11 months (source Western Power). Contacting both the power companies and emergency services during a power cut will not be possible for many residents if the copper network is disconnected. Most households will have no means of communication or contacting emergency services during a power outage.
The second issue is the unaffordable increase of costs to the customer. At the moment copper network based landline services are available from £5.23 a month (plusnet price 14/2/2022) where as fibre broadband in the village starts at £29.99 to £55 per month. This will be a 500% to 1000% cost increase forced on the customer due to the disconnection of the copper network. This significant cost increase during a period of rising costs of living, including food and heating, make it an unaffordable solution for vulnerable low income residents. This is likely to result in isolation, loneliness, loss of access to basic support services and loss of basic wellbeing for vulnerable residents.
Please may I ask for your feedback on the following:
• Please can you advise if there are any plans in place to improve the mobile network in the area.
• Please can you advise regarding vulnerable residents who may be unable to communicate when the copper network is disconnected due to the costs of fibre networks.
• Please can you advise how vulnerable residents are expected to communicate with critical services with a fibre network during a power outage or internet outage.
• Please can you advise if it is possible to delay disconnection of the copper network in rural areas like Hinton Blewett until these problems have been solved.
Many thanks,
Philip Edwards
Clerk, Hinton Blewett Parish Council
Response from Ofcom:
Ofcom Reference: 01420221
15 February 2022
Dear Mr Edwards
Thank you for your email sent to Ofcom dated 14 February 2022.
I understand from your correspondence that you have concerns about mobile coverage in your local area and the problems this may cause for residents following the retirement of the copper network.
Firstly, the decision to retire PSTN lies with the companies and this change is industry led. As the withdrawal will be ongoing until 2025, we are continuing to work with communications providers regarding the migration.
Our role is to ensure that consumers are protected from harm, making sure that they experience minimal disruption and they are protected however their landline is delivered. We have published the following document, The future of fixed telephone services, which provides general information including how the service will work, the impact on consumers, our role as well as our expectations on providers and guidance on access to emergency services. This can be accessed here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0032/137966/future-fixed-telephone-services.pdf
In addition, as mobile services are playing an increasingly important role in our daily lives, there is a growing expectation that mobile devices will work reliably wherever we are, be it at home, work, in a car or out walking in the countryside. Mobile coverage for consumers is a priority area for Ofcom, we are currently taking direct action to improve coverage, you can find more information about this here:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/information/cellular-coverage
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-2/plan-of-work-2021-22
Thank you for taking the time to inform Ofcom of your concerns. Please rest assured the details of your complaint have been logged on our system for industry monitoring purposes.
Yours sincerely
Consumer Contact Team
- Posted: 3rd March 2022