Mobile phone networks have trouble ensuring that coverage is available absolutely everywhere, and our area is not well covered. The restaurant down the road is even worse off, because they are at the bottom of a steep-sided valley, and hardly any electromagnetic waves get down there.
Luigi, who runs the restaurant, has decided thet he would like to enhance the network coverage available to his customers, and Orange can provide a small, indoor, wall-mounted box that will give network coverage in a small area. He got one; here is a picture of it on his wall.
As I understand it, in summary, Orange get to improve their network coverage and gain whatever revenues and improved customer satisfaction that comes from the enhanced network; they use Luigi's internet connection (for free) to carry the resulting network traffic, and Luigi gets to pay for the box. Nice work if you can get it. Anita thinks I'm just a grumpy old man.
I am in two minds about it too.
ReplyDeleteBut providing the network coverage might work in Luigi's favour, encouraging his customers to linger and spend more money...
Yes, he will benefit, which is why he's prepared to pay for it. But businesses benefit from coverage provided for free (or in fact paid for by the mobile phone users) in cities, and those businesses aren't asked to pay for the communications towers.
ReplyDeleteWe have to watch the grumpy old man syndrome which I too am falling into but in this case - you do have a point.
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