Roseland Online has discovered that the phone provider, Orange, has a new policy of giving away their signal boxes, worth £50, to those in bad or no signal areas. As such, we’re urging those with Orange contracts and a WiFi connection to contact their provider and ask for one, to increase the coverage for everyone on Orange and EE phones.
The Harbour Gallery in Portscatho has just installed just such a box and they will be having it permanently working 24/7 from 4th January 2015. The signal, which uses in-house WiFi to boost the reception, has around a 50 feet reach (walls depending) and uses very little of the user’s WiFi usage, according to Orange.
To apply for a box, the recipient’s registered address will need to be in an area where signal is poor, or non existent, have personal WiFi to plug into and have an Orange contract to get their free Phone Signal Booster box.
Vodaphone did a similar scheme in the UK but it was limited to 100 areas around the country and needed a ‘village sponsor’ to apply for it. The deadline for this passed on 31st October 2014. Other providers are not available at this time.
Like with the successful rollout of Superfast Broadband, Roseland Online is trying to engage with Orange to provide them with a multitude of these boxes for distribution to strategic places, but in the mean time, if you have a contract and live or work in an area where it could help the general public, we urge you to apply and switch it on for all to benefit.
Hi mark
Pete and I have Orange/EE windows phones on pay as you go.Are these also eligible or is it only contract?
Many thanks
Mand
I think you’ll find that people on PAYG will have issues getting one, but you could try. Just ring 150 and try. Good luck!
Thanks for letting us know about this. We have 3 EE pay monthly accounts and I’ve just rung them to ask about a box. Have paid £9.99 delivery charge and it’s being delivered tomorrow – great!
Pleasure!
Mark
I now have an EE booster box, brilliant. I now have a full signal for the first time ever on my mobile phone.
Thanks for all the information on how to get hold of one of these boosters.
It came the very next day and took a couple of days for EE to set up.
All it cost me was the postage.
Regards Rita.
Thanks so much for letting us know, Rita. Delighted it’s working so well and hope your neighbours will benefit, too.
I think that you will find:
This system only works with ‘G3’ telephones that are registered to ‘A base’… Maximum of 4.
It is NOT a service to ‘The Community’
The ‘Real’ problem is: The ‘Council’ will not allow new masts to be erected…
and ‘The Accountants’ of all of the mobile operators… Can’t agree on a ‘profit’ split for ‘A roaming service’ as works in the rest of the world…
And… Our Politicians… ‘DO NOTHING’ !
Our Police- Coastguard-Ambulace NEED this communication….
Only when David Cameron, couldn’t contact Downing Street from Cornwall… Did it come to ‘light’…
A ‘Prime Minister’ that roams the world… Without a Satellite ‘Phone… It just doesn’t bear thinking about…
Hi Ray
Thanks for your comment.
You’re not correct about the 4 phone register to a base, I’m afraid. This is the case for Vodaphone boxes, but not Orange. Anyone who passes by my gallery can get a signal if they’re on Orange.
As for the council, that may/may not be the case, but what is clear is that communities don’t like them because they think they’re going to spoil the area for ‘health’ reasons. This happened in Gerrans and so was dropped for fear of the school closing.
In short, it’s more complex than you think, but with regards the WiFi boxes for Orange phones, that is truly a help to the community if we can get more, which we’re working on.
Mark