Lives at risk over poor coverage prompting council letter to mobile phone providers

Lives are being put at risk as mobile phone coverage has become so poor in recent months in several parts of Cork county.

County councillors, in north Cork in particular, are to write to the main mobile phone providers seeking an explanation for what elected members claim is a deteriorating service.

Assistant county manager James Fogarty said council officials would also write to the Department of Communications to highlight the issue.

A meeting of the council’s Northern Division in Mallow heard a series of concerns from councillors after the issue was raised by Fianna Fáil’s Frank O’Flynn.

The councillor said he had received an increasing number of complaints from the public in recent weeks.

He also outlined his personal experiences of poor coverage on regular occasions throughout the region. He said the problem was particularly worrying for the villages of Clondulane, Ballynoe, and Doneraile.

His comments prompted colleagues to add to a list of areas without proper coverage.

Fianna Fáil councillor Ian Doyle said coverage was disimproving in Newtownshandrum and Charleville. His party colleague Cllr Bernard Moynihan, described coverage in Rockchapel, Freemount, and Tullylease as “absolutely appalling”.

He said: “There’s a health and safety aspect to this, people can’t get through to the emergency services.

“I genuinely think that we should have a special meeting to discuss the issue and also the general broadband issue.”

County mayor Independent councillor John Paul O’Shea said coverage was not just poor in rural areas of North Cork, but also on one of the region’s main roads.

“There are four locations on the main road from Mallow to Cork where I lose coverage all the time. We’ve all been getting texts from the providers saying they’re upgrading their services, yet a number of masts have been shut down by them.

“We should write to the providers and seek an explanation,” he demanded

Independent councillor Tim Collins said he resides in Meelin, on the Cork-Limerick border and coverage there was “ridiculous”.

“I also find it very hard to get emails at times,” he said.

Councillors agreed to write a letter to the mobile phone providers.

They also agreed with the assistant county manager when he said a copy should also be sent to the Department of Communications and that the phone companies should be made aware that a complaint had also been made to the department.