A village which has suffered “weak” and “unreliable” mobile phone signal for years has finally been given a coverage boost.
Vodafone 4G has recently been rolled out in Llanberis after months of campaigning from local MPs and the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, who rely on phone signal to deliver their life-saving service.
The Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team say that the Vodafone service would frequently be unavailable, making it difficult to get hold of volunteers when they were needed for an urgent call-out.
Although they say they have adequate systems to work around the signal failings, they would have to go to “greater lengths” to call people .
A spokesman for rescue team said: “We still always get the job done but it was a bit more difficult to get hold of people when the service was down.
“We use SMS texting to get in touch with people so it did impact on our call outs.
“We welcome the 4G coverage and hope it will be very reliable.
“How far it reaches up the mountain is to be seen, but hopefully it will enable us to get in touch with those who are stranded and stay on the line with them during rescue missions.”
Hywel Williams MP has also welcomed the change, saying that the lack of mobile phone coverage was becoming “detrimental” to local businesses.
“I’m pleased Vodafone has now rolled out 4G in Llanberis, which has suffered disproportionately from weak and unreliable mobile signal in recent years, to the detriment of customers, businesses and the local Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, who depend on access to a reliable mobile signal," he said.
“I recently met Vodafone in Westminster to lobby for better mobile service across my Arfon constituency and to convey local concerns about mobile provision in parts of Arfon. I’m pleased they’ve responded positively to these concerns.
“I hope this investment in the local mobile infrastructure will lead to tangible improvements in service for my constituents.
Many of my constituents depend on their mobile phones for their work and to keep in touch with family and friends. If they’re paying for a service, they should expect to receive it.
“Mobile phone coverage should not be a postcode lottery.
“I’ve long argued for a universal service obligation (USO), which would deliver fast, reliable service regardless of a household’s address.”
Source: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/4g-signal-boost-help-gwynedd-12777062