Star comment: More to do on phone networks
A major overhaul of O2's telephone network in Shropshire is planned by the telecoms giant.
It has accepted that it is falling behind its rivals and needs to do more to provide local users with an acceptable level of service.
The decision is good news for Shropshire, which has long suffered with poor mobile phone services. Indeed, the poor level of service is the reason why the Shropshire Star has pressed for upgrades as part of its Get Us Connected campaign.
With O2's decision, it seems that the newspaper's message is finally getting through. Captains of industry are realising that Shropshire cannot receive a substandard service when investments are only made in metropolitan areas.
None of us should be fooled, however, into thinking that acceptable standards of service are just around the corner. North Shrophire MP Owen Paterson is correct to point out that the existing networks are crumbling. They are rarely fit for purpose.
Ever-increasing volumes of data are pouring through the airwaves as people do more and more business and connect in increasingly diverse ways. The system was built to carry far lower loads than it does today. And the only realistic outlook is that volumes of communication data will increase exponentially in years to come.
The Shropshire Star, therefore, will continue to do its best for businesses, residents and other mobile phone users who deserve to be connected as efficiently as those who live in larger cities and metropolitan areas.
The plain fact is we live in a digital age. Twitter, Facebook, Facetime, Instagram, YouTube and Google provide the services through which vast numbers of people connect. Our digital infrastructure now resembles a one-track road, rather than a four-lane highway. And it requires continued investment in order to meet demand.
It is not as though mobile phone companies cannot afford to make improvements. They harvest vast profits as more and more people become increasingly connected. Their role assumes an ever-increasing importance as we become ever-more reliant on all forms of media.
And residents of our smaller towns – like Ludlow in the south or Market Drayton in the north – deserve a service that is the equal of that in Telford, Shrewsbury, Birmingham or London.
More must be done to improve the digital infrastructure.
