DWYFOR Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts has welcomed a renewed commitment by phone giant Vodafone to significantly improve mobile phone coverage across Gwynedd.

In a meeting with Graham Dunn from Vodafone, Mrs Saville Roberts and Arfon MP Hywel Williams, who have both long campaigned for better mobile coverage, pushed for significant improvements to mobile coverage and data services across rural north Wales, particularly the roll-out of 3G and 4G.

Following the meeting, Mrs Saville Roberts said: “There are still a number of hurdles to be cleared before rural areas in Wales have 21st century connectivity, which must include a mix of mobile signal, broadband and 4G.

“Planning issues relating to the height of masts should not hinder improvements, and I would urge all levels of government to consider whether reducing business rates on connectivity infrastructure might be an incentive in areas which are more difficult to reach.

“An additional consideration is whether the tax payers’ funded emergency services network, as used by the police could also be a means to extend commercial providers’ connectivity reach.”

See the full story in this week’s Arfon/Dwyfor and Meirionnydd editions of the Cambrian News