Mobile phone coverage across much of Dorset remains "appalling", county councillors have been told.
Councillor Ray Bryan, representing St Leonards and St Ives, revealed that he has no signal for two thirds of his journey from his home to County Hall in Dorchester along the A31.
"I find that appalling because that's the main commuter route for all the heavy lorries and it features very heavily in the new highways plans where they will make improvements, and on the A35, yet the mobile phone coverage is awful," he said.
Cllr Bryan disclosed that his parish council has become deeply involved in investigating why the area suffers from such poor mobile and broadband services.
"This affects all residents, not just in my area, but across the whole county. I think we have been short-changed," he told Dorset Council's place and resources policy scrutiny committee.
He pointed out that many businesses in rural parts of the county, including many farmers who are increasingly reliant on technology, struggle to get a decent signal.
"Without a decent service we are going to struggle to attract business which can create jobs," he warned.
He said that at his home, he must pay for a satellite connection to receive reasonable broadband.
Cllr Bryan expressed that many residents in his area are disappointed by what they perceive as Dorset Council's lack of determination to resolve the issue by pressing providers to improve their services.
"Going forward we need to get a real grip on this and we need to set some real targets," he said.
Cllr Noc Lacey-Clarke noted that in his Blandford ward, while voice mobile signals are usually available, using the phone for data or video streaming has recently become impossible.
The discussion follows Dorset Council's creation of its own service that maps actual mobile phone signal coverage, gathered through its refuse vehicles traversing the county – an initiative that led many to question the discrepancy between the 'official' coverage figures from providers and the council's findings.
The checker is available at dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/mobile-connectivity-and-coverage.
