Rural mobile phone users could lose signal

Thousands of mobile phone users in rural Ireland could be left searching for a signal due to policy decisions made by the telecom regulator ComReg.

A proposed auction of mobile facilities next month could result in a massive decline in coverage in rural areas.

An expert engineer from one of the big mobile providers, Ericsson, has warned that the failure by ComReg to push for a universal service obligation (USO) — which would require mobile phone operators to provide coverage for the whole country — will result in an inevitable decline in coverage for rural customers.