Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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227. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the provision of a map of blackspots in mobile coverage undertaken by the mobile phone and broadband task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38989/18]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce was established in July 2016 to examine broadband and mobile phone coverage deficits in Ireland and identify tangible actions to improve the quality of these services.

The Taskforce Report was published in December 2016, encompassing 40 actions to alleviate barriers to mobile phone reception and broadband access.  An Implementation Group was established in 2017 to oversee the delivery of the actions in the Taskforce’s report. Progress reports on the delivery of these actions are published on my Department's website on a quarterly basis.

With regard to the specific issue of mobile phone blackspots, my officials, in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, are actively engaged with local authorities and mobile phone operators to identify priority blackspots and take action to address this issue.

During 2017, officials of both Departments worked with a group of local authorities to identify the issues associated with mapping local blackspots.  Building on this exercise, a call was issued to all local authorities in 2018 to map local blackspots and identify infrastructure that could potentially be used to improve telecommunications services. To date, 17 local authorities have provided data on more than 200 blackspots. This data, coupled with information provided by mobile phone operators, has established an empirical base upon which further research and policy development will be built.

It is important to note that the number of blackspots is constantly changing as new telecommunications infrastructure is rolled out and upgraded. However, the blackspot information that the Department has received so far is providing valuable data regarding poor coverage in specific rural areas and along national and regional roads. The Department is continuing to work with the telecommunications providers to ensure that new infrastructure is targeted at the areas most in need.

In addition, a Focus Group was established earlier this year by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide guidance with respect to categories of location where high quality reliable mobile coverage should be made available as a priority. The report of the Focus Group was published in August 2018 and sets out a ranked list of categories of location where high quality mobile coverage should be available. It also recommends the level (in terms of quality and reliability) of coverage needed for these locations with respect to mobile voice and data services.