Posted: Fri 12th Dec 2014

Wrexham’s 3G Issues Result In Questions Posed To Parliament

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Friday, Dec 12th, 2014

Ongoing mobile network / 3G issues in Wrexham have resulted in questions on the issue being posed to Parliament.

Wrexham MP Ian Lucas presented three questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport regarding the continuing problems in Wrexham and if an ‘assessment of the adequacy’ of the town’s coverage could be carried out.

The three questions which are detailed below, come as a result of the ongoing mobile coverage issues in Wrexham.

– To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mobile telephone coverage in Wrexham County Borough.

– To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what comparative assessment he has made of the adequacy of mobile telephone coverage in (a) Wrexham and (b) West Cheshire and Chester.

– To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will carry out an assessment of the adequacy of mobile telephone coverage in Wrexham town centre.

The responses from Mr Edward Vaizey, Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are largely similar, detailing an assessment that has been carried out by Ofcom.

Mr Vaizey replied: “An assessment of mobile telephone coverage of the whole of the UK, including Wrexham and West Cheshire and Chester, has been carried out by Ofcom and is publicly available on the Regulator’s web site: http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/mobile-services/

“The information provided goes down to the level of an appropriate administrative area – such as Wrexham. It is not possible to identify data separately for Wrexham town centre.

“This covers both 2G and 3G networks and may be consulted on the basis of geographical area or premises. Coverage in each area is ranked from 1 to 5 on the level of mobile coverage (1= 95% or more; 2= 90% – less than 95%; 3= 80% – less than 90%; 4= 60% – less than 80%; 5= less than 60%).

“It is also possible to download the data in tabular form. The data was last up-dated on 13 December 2013. More information may be found in Ofcom’s 2013 up-date to its Infrastructure Report, also available to download at: http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/mobile-services/

The Ofcom website details a ‘Colour Coded’ Map of the UK, documenting which areas have the strongest and weakest mobile coverage in the country. However it is worth noting that the map / assessment were carried out in 2013.

With regards to 2G Wrexham is listed as ‘Three’, meaning there is ‘80% – less than 90%’ coverage in the area. 3G is ranked as ‘Four’ which means there is ‘60% – less than 80%’ coverage.

Mobile coverage issues have been an ongoing problem in Wrexham for several months, with the first of the issues reported back in May. A 24 page thread on the Wrexham.com Forums was also started and has since been viewed over 18,000 times.

In September a petition calling for the immediate ‘Repair or replace the faulty mobile phone mast in Wrexham town centre’ was launched, with 483 people signing and showing their support for the cause.

Last week Wrexham’s mobile coverage issues returned, with many people contacting Wrexham.com to say that they were struggling to get 3G in certain areas – particularly in the town centre.

The ongoing problems have resulted in some people cancelling their contracts and switching network providers, while others have said the issues in Wrexham are like living in the ‘dark ages’.

Problems appear to be spanned across many of the ‘big’ mobile networks, although EE and Three appear to have been two of the networks that have been affected the most.

Last week a number of people commented on how the ongoing network issues in Wrexham have had an impact on their businesses. Dom Gallagher told Wrexham.com that he had to take ‘business meetings to Chester’, while ‘Vinegar Gaga’ on Twitter said they are also ‘struggling to conduct business in the town centre due to data outages’.

After the issues returned we contacted Three and EE with a list of town centre postcodes to be examined. Three told Wrexham.com that they were ‘aware that some customers in the Wrexham area may be experiencing problems with a local mast’.

A few days ago we spoke to Three again who told us that the issues had been resolved and that coverage should improve in Wrexham.

Over the past few days the mobile coverage issues in Wrexham seem to have improved slightly. Here’s hoping that the issues are on their way to being resolved completely.



Spotted something? Got a story? Email [email protected]



Have a look at...

Turnover up 75% as Wrexham AFC say ‘losses shouldnt be repeated’ as payroll nears £7m

Off-road motorcyclists ‘using their bikes dangerously’ warned they ‘will be seized’

Saturday’s Wrexham Artisan Market to be ‘showcase’ of local and national products

MMA Event coming to north east Wales this weekend!

Rare newts thriving after north east Wales pond restoration

Plans for new studio flat above Wrexham fast food restaurant

Football Banning Order issued to Wrexham man for ‘pyro offences’

Ambulance Service ‘expecting the Bank Holiday period to be a busy one for us’

Reminder to check for Schools Essentials Grant before window closes at end of May

Wrexham AFC Women Awarded first UEFA License and FAW Tier 1 License renews for 2024/25 Season

“Disrespectful” easter egg hunt in cemetery cancelled after backlash

Free Easter Egg Hunt in Wrexham city centre tomorrow!