Mobile Connectivity Committee Hosted

Date published: 30th January 2026

North Norfolk District Council hosted a special Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday January 28 to discuss mobile connectivity in North Norfolk. 

A representative from the Mobile Network Operators was invited to answer questions from councillors and hear the concerns of residents and businesses owners who are impacted by poor connectivity. 

We heard from the Governor of a school which had to close due to power cuts compromising all communications; a local farmer who shared the impact of poor mobile phone signal and the impact on mental health for remote workers; and the Coastguard who outlined the dangers of no service areas. 

Councillors posed questions to ascertain what the main stumbling blocks were to improving coverage in our area, and to make representation the perceived level of service operators provided, did not match the realities of people’s everyday experiences. 

Attendees listened with interest as the representative outlined some of the planned improvement works, which included a commitment between operators and the Government to have 5G coverage for 90% of populated areas - and as much as 99.95% for some of the biggest operators in North Norfolk including Vodafone / Three - by 2030. 

It became clear that to move forward constructively, open and direct lines of communication need to be forged between the public, the Council and operators, an approach which was welcomed on all fronts.  

Cllr Victoria Holliday, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, commented: “We know that in parts of North Norfolk it isn’t possible to use a mobile phone, even in an emergency.  

NNDC’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee has mapped this out, using our best understanding of real-life data.  

This shows what we all know: our phones often don’t work, and we need our mobile connectivity to improve.  

As a result of our discussion with Mobile UK, phone companies should have a better understanding of what it means to live where coverage is so poor, and that something needs to be done about it.  

We are pushing for more investment in North Norfolk. We’re also ready to work collaboratively with the industry because we know how important good mobile connectivity means for our residents.” 

You can re-watch the meeting here.