Mobile data providers could be forced to ensure customers don’t have to deal with patchy service under newly proposed laws.
Sajid Javid, the UK’s Culture Secretary, has offered up new legislation that could mean the big four mobile operators – EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone – would work together to ensure total service coverage.
The idea is simple – if you’re signed on with EE but you’re not getting signal, you could switch to another provider temporarily to access their services instead.
It's nothing particularly new - travellers from abroad already have access to this sort of service in the UK due to existing network provider agreements.
According to the Telegraph, a source from Whitehall said: “We want to eradicate this situation of partial not-spots.”
“There is expected to be a consultation in the coming days and this could include a legislative option,” the source explained. “If these companies do not change, we might force them to change.”
Enacting the law is very much a last resort, spurred on by the failure of the UK’s largest phone operators to come to a voluntary agreement.
If Javid’s proposed legislation comes to fruition, it will mean you’ll never be stuck without signal while your mate’s got four bars standing next to you ever again.
It seems dealing with the digital age is a big concern for the UK government lately. Just last week, Whitehall pledged to transform upwards of 1000 public buildings across the country into free Wi-Fi hotspots.
It’s all part of the government’s SuperConnected Cities initiative, which is making use of £150 million in funding to boost connectivity across the nation.
Hundreds of new mobile phone masts will be added to rural areas as part of the proposal too.
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