GET CONNECTED LAUNCHES IN TIPPERARY TO EMPOWER COMMUNITY CONNECTIVITY AND END COVERAGE BLACKSPOTS

A new initiative has launched today aimed at improving the connectivity for communities in Tipperary who are suffering from poor mobile phone coverage. Get Connected is seeking to improve mobile coverage in the areas which need it most, by asking the community to come together and request a review of their services.

Get Connected is being supported by Cellnex, the telecoms infrastructure operator with over 1,700 telecoms sites around the country. The programme has already been successfully launched in adjacent counties including Waterford, Cork and Laois and is now being extended to Tipperary. The intention is to expand Get Connected into a nationwide project supporting communities in all 26 counties, and ending the scourge of mobile blackspots.
Cellnex is already following up on submissions from over 50 local communities from all around Ireland following our first launch in May. Cellnex is actively progressing on 22 sites as a result of this engagement, and hopes to see a similar level of interest from communities in Tipperary.
The objective of Get Connected is to mobilise support within communities to participate in the planning and delivery of mobile connectivity in their local areas. Get Connected is officially launching a ‘Community Call’ through its website www.getconnected.ie which invites communities to come together to request a review of the mobile coverage in their local area to see if a solution to their mobile connectivity issue can be delivered.
To initiate a review, which will be carried out by Cellnex at no cost to residents, communities should seek to mobilise a group of people who have a shared interest in getting improved coverage, and then nominate a single point of contact to make a submission to Get Connected. Cellnex will then carry out a detailed survey to assess the area’s suitability and work to deliver a feasible solution.
Recent research from ComReg shows that three in four people (73%) strongly value being able to access and use their mobile phone during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic1.The research also shows that one in four households2 (27%) find mobile broadband not good enough for home working at a time when it has never been more important to ensure that householders are as well connected as possible.
Cellnex Ireland Managing Director Colin Cunningham said:
“Get Connected is a real opportunity for people in Tipperary to have a say in what their future looks like and to come together to support better connectivity for their area. We have already been approached by communities all over the country who have seen the success of the program’s launch in other counties and want to join in, and from today that will be possible in Tipperary.
Cellnex is giving communities the firm promise that we will work with them to try to ensure that they get the infrastructure that they need. I hope that local communities will take this opportunity to seek an improved service and work with us to deliver solutions for their areas to end the problem of coverage blackspots. Whether you’re more likely to be answering the phone on the studs near Fethard, strolling along the banks of the River Suir, or tackling Keeper Hill, Get Connected is about helping you stay in touch.”
Tipperary County Council Broadband Officer, Simon Howe, said:
“Tipperary is a vibrant place where people can live, visit and work in a competitive and resilient economy, a sustainable environment and an inclusive and active community. There is a need to use digital technology to drive economic development and prosperity in all our urban and rural areas within which we operate and to capitalise on the rapidly growing digital economy. Central to this is the importance of connectivity and the requirement for excellent mobile phone and broadband coverage.
Unfortunately, not every area in Tipperary has suitable connectivity. Get Connected and Cellnex are empowering local communities to come together to identify solutions to improve their rural connectivity”.
Since its launch in 2013 Cellnex has invested €1.5m delivering 10 new telecoms sites in locations throughout Tipperary.