Cotswold villages where mobile signal is so bad people have to use home wifi to make calls
Summary
Mobile phone signal is so bad in some parts of the Cotswolds that villagers can make calls on their mobiles while connected to wifi at home. The mobile phone coverage in places such as Rendcomb, Colesbourne and North Cerney near Cirencester is appalling, according to local residents. Richard Norton, who is from Rendcomb, is among those who can only use his mobile phone while connected to his home’s wireless network.
Details
He said there is a complete black spot between Colesbourne and Rendcombe .And, if someone’s vehicle breaks down there, they cannot use their phones to call for help. “The reality around here is that mobile phone coverage is appalling,” he said. “This is Rendcombe, Colesbourne, North Cerney.
“I’m on Vodafone, and have been for years. It only works in small patches. “If you drive from Colesbourne to Rendcombe, you lose signal on every single network.
“There’s a complete gap which is about a mile and a mile and a half of dead signal. “In Rendcomb village, EE apparently doesn’t work, Vodafone doesn’t work and there is very limited coverage from O2. “The whole area is just terrible for mobile phones.
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The only way people can really make calls on mobile phones at home is through wifi.” The issue was raised at a Gloucestershire County Council meeting last month by Councillor Paul Hodgkinson (LD, Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach) who made a plea for better mobile phone coverage as it is important for businesses and the digital economy.
“There are black spots in quite a lot of parts of rural Gloucestershire, particularly in the North Cotswolds where you can’t even get a signal, let alone anything else” he said.
“It’s really important that we continue to fight for mobile coverage across the entire county so that people can access that basic right.” Councillor Julian Tooke (LD, Pittville and St Paul’s), who is the cabinet member for business and economic development, said the council must “lobby, lobby and lobby”.
“I’m confident that we are doing that,” he said and explained the council is limited to what interventions it can do due to budget pressures. BT, which is the leading investor in the UK’s networks to improve the nation’s connectivity, said they have expanded the reach of their mobile network in recent years.