Rural mobile coverage: secondary policy priority

Geographic coverage vs. population coverage was discussed prior to the auction consultation process, I mentioned it in a thread back in 2017.

Mr. Gerry Fahy: ... As was mentioned earlier by my colleagues, the real coverage is the 700 MHz band. That is used today for broadcast services and broadcasts well into valleys and through buildings. That would be the classic coverage spectrum. There is a big debate to be had with all stakeholders as to whether we need to move away from the population expression of coverage towards a geographic expression of coverage. ComReg is completely open minded on that issue.

Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment debate - Tuesday, 23 May 2017

In the end Comreg decided on population coverage route for the auction

Proposal to focus on population coverage

8.23 ComReg proposed to adopt proposals as set out in Section 8.4.4 A of Document 19/59R that a coverage obligation should primarily focus on targeting population coverage.

ComReg 20/122 Multi Band Spectrum Award - Response to Consultation and Decision

In relation to a 'debate with stakeholders', IMO private discussions between ComReg and the Department outside the statutory framework are a problem. The Department could easily have given a direction and published it. That's politics I guess.

I assume the preliminary discussions were between all the stakeholders, not just Comreg and the Dept, but industry too, was necessary to put a framework in place prior to the big auction consultation, even then I remember the whole consultation process taking years followed by legal delays.

The powers that be were never going to put any onerous coverage obligations on the networks considering it can be difficult to get a mast up in a rural area. Two mobile masts in my rural area didn't happen because of objections, one of which would've provided coverage to us. Now our house is covered by a mast about 8.5 kms away requiring a mobile repeater to provide indoor coverage. There are a few masts closer but topography means we've no coverage from them.

The regulator's decision probably provided the easiest path to a successful auction conclusion and decent return for the exchequer.

What's next? The 800/900/1800 MHz licences expire mid 2030 and the 3.6 GHz licences 2032. Will coverage obligation requirements pop up again?

Unfortunately for our rural area it's all mobile masts and cabinets, there isn't anything else tall enough to mount an antenna on, same probably for most rural areas.

Hadn't seen the Comreg income/expenditure forecast previously. At least they're in the black and the don't have to be supported from the exchequer and out of that you have your revenue returns.

Of course the state was due a lump sum of approx. €166m following the auction, with a further €280m due in SUF over the duration of the licences.

Looking at exchequer income for 2023 & 2024 Comreg transferred €149m in 2023 with a further €20m estimated in 2024.

I don't deny what you say, but around my area it has to be a mast and people like to object, even the local church isn't tall enough if it was allowed.

In my local village there's two 18m and one 24m mast, none able to serve us. One of the failed applications would have covered us but it wasn't to be.

I know masts up to 12m are exempt from planning but no operator has gone that route here, maybe not tall enough to justify cost vs. coverage.

This was the regular line from the previous Dept/Minister, basically no difference, for example

The roll-out of infrastructure for mobile telecommunications services in Ireland is primarily a matter for mobile network operators, operating on a commercial basis in a liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). ComReg is statutorily independent in the exercise of its functions in accordance with section 11 of the Communications Regulation Act 2002.

You could be right, it did occur to me when reading the reply. Generally these type of questions refer to mobile coverage.

The Comreg action says completed in Q4 24, how was it completed? Awaiting an opinion from the Dept.?

Current position from Comreg

Following several public consultations, ComReg established that fixed voice communications services cannot be ensured commercially in the State, therefore there is not a Universal Service Provider in Ireland.

ComReg communicated this decision to the Minister and requested his opinion as to whether other potential public policy tools can or cannot ensure access to voice communications services in the State. ComReg may issue a separate response to the consultation and a decision on the other preliminary views consulted, depending on the Minister’s opinion.

Currently, there are no Universal Service Obligations covered under Regulation 72(1) of the Code Regulations.

Universal Service | Commission for Communications Regulation

S.I. No. 444/2022 - European Union (Electronic Communications Code) Regulations 2022

Availability of universal service and designation

72.(1) Where the Regulator establishes, taking into account the results, where available, of the geographical survey conducted in accordance with Regulation 100 and any additional evidence it deems necessary, that the availability at a fixed location of adequate broadband or of voice communications services cannot be ensured under normal commercial circumstances in the State or different parts of it, and the Minister is of the opinion that other potential public policy tools cannot ensure access to adequate broadband or to voice communications services in the State or any part of it as identified by the Regulator, then the Regulator may make a designation under paragraph (3) to impose appropriate universal service obligations to meet all reasonable requests by those end-users for accessing such services.

Did they publish a response to the consultation, not available in that link.

So, back to this PQ, is the Dept indicating VFL no longer falls under a USO and is now down to the availability of a mobile signal at a fixed location?

Another nail in the coffin of the copper landline, especially in rural areas. Strange alright that Comreg hasn't published that Information Notice. Also no mention of voice or USO in their Strategy Statement for the next 2 years.

We got rid of our landline 3 years ago this month primarily due to the introduction of the CPI+3% annual increase combined with the regular outages due to line faults, and installed a multiband repeater that gave us indoor mobile calls and data

They're not independent, they are provided by the MNOs based on their own network coverage prediction modelling. A desktop exercise using software with mast location, altitude and radiation data etc.

2rn transmission coverage prediction is based on a receiving antenna at 30m agl. In the real world very few TV aerials are mounted 100ft high.

I assume the mobile networks use a lower agl in their prediction modelling which cannot take into account local obstructions which interfere with the signal. And of course no prediction modelling can accurately predict indoor coverage.

No coverage maps can be 100% accurate no matter how independently verified they are.

Better coverage would require more local masts, lampposts etc. but no one wants them.