Shropshire business leader signals support for mobile phone campaign

Richard Sheehan, chief executive of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, is supporting 'No More Not Spots', a project with the aim of banishing bad phone coverage where people live and work.

Launched by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) the campaign hopes to bring together business communities to work through solutions to improve poor mobile signal.

Companies and individuals across the region are being urged to get on board and report issues and 'not spot' areas.

Mr Sheehan said: "Anybody who lives in a rural community can be affected by Not Spots. Depending on their network provider determines how successful they can hold a conversation.

"Good phone signal is vital for the mobile business community. We need to ensure everybody has access to good quality mobile phone signal as well as broadband across our lovely county.

"I am delighted to help support our national body in this campaign."

Areas with poor signal hamper businesses, it has been found. A recent survey by the BCC of more than 1,400 companies found that a fifth of firms say the UK mobile phone network does not meet their needs in accessing new and existing customers, suppliers and employees.

Launching the campaign at DP World London Gateway, a sea port and logistics hub that suffers from mobile not spots, director general of the BCC Dr Adam Marshall said: "A reliable mobile phone signal is one of the most basic requirements for any business, as more and more conversations and transactions take place while people are on the go.

"Unfortunately, dropped calls and poor signal remains an issue in many areas across the UK.

“Our campaign will be constructive and focused on solutions. While we’ll press for investment and services improvements, we’ll work with mobile operators and all parties with a stake in getting this right across the UK. Working together, business, communities and operators can identify key gaps in coverage and find shared solutions to resolve the real-world connection problems many business communities face.

“Our message to all businesses is simple: share and report mobile not spots – so that together we can take action to improve reliable coverage for the future. The UK’s future prosperity depends on getting the fundamentals right here at home – and a push for reliable, dependable and consistently improving mobile connectivity is the perfect place to start.”