Frustration grows in North Mayo over 'shocking' phone coverage

Erris is ready to hang up on a network provider as frustrations grow over the quality of mobile phone coverage.

Local councillor Gerry Coyle said the entire region is being impacted by the service being provided in the area by Vodafone.

“This has been going on for months. The whole of Erris and Belmullet is affected. It’s absolutely shocking. Travelling around Erris you can’t make any calls on Vodafone, people can’t ring me at night, it’s cruel,” said Cllr Coyle.

“When people do get through to you then they can’t hear you on the other end of the line. This is happening to anyone on an 087 number. It’s just not good enough and people are disgusted with the coverage,” he added.

Cllr Coyle said the people of Erris want the problem addressed.

The issues with some network providers was previously highlighted by Cllr Coyle’s Fine Gael colleague, Senator Mark Duffy, who told the Seanad:

“I thought we would finally be able to make a phone call while going from A to B, but then you engage in a contract and the line drops every time you are on certain rural roads or on a train going across the country. And it is always in the same blackspots.

“In my own county of Mayo, coverage is particularly poor between Ballyvary and Turlough, Straide and sections of the N26 between Foxford and Ballina as well as along the R312 to Belmullet.

“From speaking to fellow Oireachtas members, it is clear this is a national issue with notorious blackspots right across the country,” added Senator Duffy. “We talk about moving from 3G to 4G and to 5G yet mobile coverage is still non-existent in locations.

“A town in a rural location may have a population of over 5,000 but when you travel to it you go through blackspots. Where is the failure? There has been a total failure and it has been going on for decades.

“This has to be called out. It is a big issue, it has never been addressed, and it causes everyone frustration and we need strong action on it,” he added.