MOBILE NETWORK COVERAGE AND THE EMERGENCY SERVICE NETWORK

That this House welcomes the potential of the Emergency Services Network significantly to improve mobile geographic coverage across the UK, particularly in remote rural areas across Wales; notes that to create the infrastructure for the Emergency Services Network, 291 new mast sites will be built by EE and a further 230 sites will be built by the Government; recognises the difficulties faced by four per cent of homes in Wales that are without any services from any mobile network operator; further recognises that only 65 per cent of premises in Wales had basic voice call coverage from the big four networks in 2015; understands that mobile network operators and the Government intend to improve mobile coverage; urges the Government and EE to work with other mobile network operators to ensure that they are able to access these publicly funded masts to offer vast improvements in coverage for hard-to-reach areas; recognises that, while there will be some additional costs for building multi-occupancy sites compared to single occupancy sites, it is essential that this access is provided on all sites that receive state aid; and encourages the Government to work with the Welsh Government to take all the necessary steps to ensure that the Emergency Services Network will be designed and built to facilitate effective access for all mobile operators.