Highland road safety fears over poor mobile coverage
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THE Highlands have 452 miles of road with no mobile phone coverage.
And the safety of motorists is being jeopardised as a result, says a North politician.
The RAC Foundation research commissioned by the communications regulator Ofcom showed that drivers who break down on more than 1,200 miles of Scotland’s roads cannot call for help because there is no mobile phone coverage.
Inverness, Nairn Strathspey and Badenoch MP Drew Hendry, who is campaigning for a universal service obligation for mobile services, said: "The RAC has pointed out a key safety issue for those travelling through much of the Highlands, and this is especially worrying when the weather is so poor and the roads are particularly hazardous.
"In a time when we rely on our phones to do so much, it is inexcusable that there are still 400 miles of Highland roads where we cannot even make a basic call or send a text.
"Mobile phone companies should be held to a universal service obligation which would ensure that all parts of the nations of the UK have adequate mobile coverage.
"This report highlights perfectly just why it is so important that decisions on mobile coverage are taken with a view beyond just making quick and easy income for the Treasury.
"I have been calling for the UK Government to prioritise rural areas for the release of the 5G mobile
spectrum which is only a few years away.
"They should commit now to ensuring that there is a universal service obligation requirement when the licences are sold to the
mobile operators, otherwise we could, yet again, see areas like the High-lands and others like it at the back of the queue scrabbling to catch up."
THE Highlands have 452 miles of road with no mobile phone coverage.
