Thursday, March 31, 2011

Wales - The government promises to provide C21st networks

[wales online] A PLAID Cymru government would “connect Wales for the 21st century”, boosting mobile signals, Wi-Fi and broadband coverage and delivering a modern transport system, the party’s spring conference was told yesterday.

Rural affairs minister Elin Jones told the conference in Cardiff that the party would pioneer major improvements, including Wi-Fi on public transport and in hotspots across the country and every business and home linked to fast broadband.

She also claimed that Plaid would move to electrify more railways across Wales and improve bus services.

She told delegates at the Wales Millennium Centre: “Plaid Cymru’s plans to ensure that we are leading the way in terms of mobile phone, broadband and Wi-Fi technologies show our commitment to building a contemporary Wales. We know that we have areas in rural and urban Wales that suffer from poor mobile coverage, even along the M4.

“Some communities are so frustrated they are erecting their own community masts. Plaid Cymru wants to develop this approach further and for more communities.”

The party is proposing installing masts on publicly-owned land for use by mobile operators.

In his speech to the conference, former Labour Welsh Secretary Ron Davies – now Plaid Cymru candidate for Caerphilly – launched a scathing attack on his former party, saying it had not stood up for Wales in the last 10 years.

He said: “They couldn’t even stand up to their own backbenchers and get us a proper parliament.”

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