In County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, where locals have previously described “complete blackspots” of phone signal, there are signs of improvement.
The expansion of mobile network infrastructure has faced the challenge of strict planning laws and, in recent years, frequent arson attacks linked to online conspiracy theories.
The Northern Ireland Executive launched a Mobile Action Plan in 2020 with the aim of working with MNOs to identify issues and “support rollout and expansion”.
Catháir Brady, who works at a theatre in the town of Coalisland, said the 5G coverage had subsequently improved and was now “reliable enough”, whereas before it could “get worse by moving even a few feet”.
However, he said 5G coverage in the neighbouring town of Clonoe, where he lives, remained “awful”.
A few miles away in Stewartstown, Joanne Sinclair said recent improvements to 4G and 5G coverage had been hugely beneficial to her family’s hardware store.