Mobile networks swamped by tourists causing 'embarrassing' problems for North Wales

New figures have shown the stimulating effect of tourism on the North Wales economy as the sector heads into the high season. But businesses can struggle to take advantage of the boom because of the stretched capacity of mobile signal networks, according to a taxi driver sometimes unable to take payments from customers.

While mobile coverage continues to improve across the country - 86 Westminister-funded 4G masts are currently being rolled out in Wales - drop-outs remain a problem even in areas with strong signals. In summer, Conwy cabbie Dave Fare can struggle to use his SumUp card machine – a mobile payment device that accounts for almost 70% of his transactions.

Peak season tourism overloads local mobile networks and leaves him without a signal, he said. “I was told by one provider, O2, that I needed to wait until winter to have reliable service restored,” said the 46-year-old dad-of-two.

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“Sometimes it’s a struggle to get a 4G signal good enough for the payment machine, let alone 5G,” said Dave, a self-employed driver with Premier Cars Llandudno. “I’ve changed my network provider two or three times in the last few years but it’s made little difference - especially during the school holidays when the local population can double.

“It’s not great when you hand over the machine to a customer and it doesn’t work – it’s embarrassing when they say they get a better reception out in the sticks. When this happens, I have one of two options.

“I can take them to the nearest cashpoint so they can draw out money – but this may be some distance away and is time-consuming. It’s also a big inconvenience for customers.

“The other option – which I usually take – is to trust in human nature. Having dropped them off, I’ll send them a payment link when I get a signal. Sadly, not everyone pays. It’s not a massive number – less than 1% - but it does happen.” Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone

Dave, former publican at Ye Olde Mail Coach in his hometown of Conwy, said mobile networks in Llandudno often get overloaded in summer. The resort has 20,000 residents but can attract up to seven million visitors each year, placing a peak season strain on local services.

He suspects mobile usage is greater among holidaymakers than local people. “They’re all checking out places to visit, looking at Tripadvisor, searching for bus times and trying to find out what’s going on,” he said.

“The networks can’t cope. It’s been an issue for quite some time now but with more services relying on mobile, it’s becoming more of a problem.”

The impact of the annual tourism surge in North Wales was highlighted in SumUp's transaction data from last month’s half-term break (May 27-31). As visitors flooded into the region, tourism-related businesses saw an average 63% increase in takings compared with the previous week.

Biggest beneficiaries, as expected, were recreation venues, with a 161% boost in weekly takings. Also cashing in were cafes and restaurants (up 76%), along with music venues (up 44%) and outdoor markets (up 51%) .

Smaller increases were seen with mobile food vans (up 9%) and taxis (up 2%). The latter figure was not a surprise for Dave Fare, whose customer base tends to be fairly resilient all year round.

“We always see big increases during half-term and the summer holidays,” he said. “Tourism is the region’s lifeblood – take it away and there wouldn’t be much industry left.

“The weather is always a big factor and it’s not been great so far this year, though I’ve seen worse. Llandudno is pretty resilient anyway and Conwy as a whole has lots of activities that aren’t weather dependent.

“There will always be challenges but my biggest threat is not the weather or a potential tourist tax but the lack of a good mobile signal during the summer!” Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

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