Ulster Unionist MLA Sandra Overend has attended a briefing by the Mobile Operators Association on mobile phone coverage in rural areas of Northern Ireland.
The Mid-Ulster MLA said:
“With the growth of the digital economy and the ever increasing importance of modern technology, it is essential that rural areas – including my own Mid-Ulster constituency – are not left behind.
Modern infrastructure is about a lot more than physical infrastructure such as road and rail networks, vital though they obviously are. The internet has made it possible for businesses to be operated from rural areas but they require secure and reliable access to digital networks.
There has been a massive increase in the amount of data accessed by hand held devices, so much so that it is almost inaccurate to refer to them as phones.
The briefing made it clear that no single agency or group can address problems relating to connectivity or coverage in Northern Ireland and that involvement is required from the mobile operators, Westminster, Stormont, Ofcom, local councils and of course local communities.
We discussed the Westminster Government’s recent Budget announcement of a £150 million public fund for investment in mobile infrastructure by 2015. This targets a number of A roads within the UK, including the A2 and A29 in Northern Ireland and will be of great benefit to those areas.
It is essential that Northern Ireland is not left behind and that we are not disadvantaged in technological terms.”