Timmy Dooley
Ceist:92. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he will provide a map of blackspots identified by broadband officers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3366/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 3 April 2019
Ceisteanna (92)
Freagraí scríofa
In 2017, officials from my Department, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and a small number of Local Authorities met to examine the potential for mapping mobile phone blackspots in Ireland.
On foot of these meetings, an invitation was issued in late 2017 to all Local Authorities to provide data on 5 or 6 prioritised local blackspots, with a view to examining the potential for mapping mobile phone blackspots in Ireland. The objective was not to compile a definitive list of blackspots across the country, but to identify areas of immediate priority for the purposes of testing an approach to the mapping of blackspots.
While the exercise was informative, it was not comprehensive. Of the 31 Local Authorities, only 17 returned data to feed into the exercise.
ComReg has recently published a national map of outdoor mobile phone coverage for 2G, 3G and 4G services for a range of providers. This map, which is available on ComReg’s website, shows the quality and prevalence of mobile phone coverage right across the country for each provider. It will prove to be a useful tool for consumers on the services available in their areas.
Question No. 93 answered with Question No. 80.
Question No. 94 answered with Question No. 87.