Cheltenham mast removal led to poor phone signal for months

Some residents in Cheltenham said they have had poor mobile signal since December

Customers of some mobile phone suppliers said they were changing providers because a telecommunications mast was removed in Cheltenham and caused poor phone signal.

Residents of the spa town said they have had poor network coverage for EE and Three in the south since December.

The mast was situated at Arle Court Park and Ride.

EE said it had now resolved the situation and the mast was "fully operational".

Cellnex, which managed the base station shared by EE Limited and Three, said it had raised concerns before the masts removal, reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

It said potential issues had been pointed out during the planning application for the new transport hub being built at Arle Court.

Cheltenham Borough Councillor Graham Beale, who has been raising this issue on behalf of residents, said there were signal problems across the town.

Not working

He said when he spoke to EE about a week ago he was told it was "red everywhere".

"Gloucestershire County Council are working with [Cellnex] to find a replacement site for the mast... but as far as I know, they haven't done that yet.

"If you look at the EE's current coverage map it's only the Cheltenham Racecourse mast which is operational. The others aren't working correctly," he added.

He said supplier Three told him two locations are currently under review to resite the Arle Court mobile mast.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire County Council said it gave the mast operator at Arle Court a notice period of 30 months before the mast was removed to accommodate the new transport hub at the site.

"We will continue to work with the mast operator to investigate potential alternative locations."

EE told LDRS "an issue was impacting one of our masts in Cheltenham leading to reduced coverage for some customers in the area," but has now been resolved.