Star Comment: Calls for action over county's signal crisis

What started out as pockets of discontent with the poor reception that afflicts our county rapidly turned into a clamour for action that – hopefully – will lead to an overhaul of the service we get here in Shropshire.

• See also: Get Us Connected campaign - Final call over Shropshire's signal crisis

It is too easy to dismiss poor mobile phone reception as an irritation and nothing more. It is perfectly true that having no mobile phone reception is irritating, but if you find yourself stranded with a broken down car on the side of the A5 on a freezing winter evening in driving rain, having no phone signal is far more than an irritation.

Likewise, good connectivity is vital to many businesses, whether it be fast broadband or reliable mobile phone coverage. Without it, our economy is at a disadvantage. That is simply unfair.

It is also clear that our reliance on mobile technology will only increase in the coming years. If the present situation is allowed to persist, the disadvantage we face in Shropshire will only become greater.

There is a lot of talk about the benefits of 4G. Apparently, this does everything faster and more reliably than 3G, which of course sounds very appealing. However, many people in Shropshire would be happy to settle for a signal of any kind – 3G or otherwise.

Our campaign has received plenty of support in political circles, most notably from Shropshire Council which passed a motion backing our petition last month.

The council's leader, Keith Barrow, believes the campaign has already put the issue firmly on the agenda and expects action. Indeed the major mobile phone operators – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – have pledged to us that they will improve their coverage in rural areas such as Shropshire.

We hope that is the case, but actions speak louder than words and we do not intend to sit back and wait for something to be done. We will deliver the petition to the Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, Ofcom and the four major phone networks to ensure this issue will not be swept under the carpet any longer.

The people of Shropshire deserve better than the second class service they get at the moment – and we will keep up the pressure to ensure that we get action rather than words.