The O2 mast serving Parwich and neighborhood is expected to be repaired early next week.
Derbyshire Dales MP John Whitby said he had received confirmation from O2 today minutes before he was due to meet Parwich residents to discuss the impact of the three month outage.
Mr Whitby met about 40 Parwich residents at the British Legion who have been without a full O2 service and unable to receive vital messages from doctors, hospitals and banks.
O2 assured Mr Whitby that the “rare part” for the mast arrived Thursday evening and an engineer will be on site early next week. Some residents questioned why the repair wasn’t an immediate priority after the lengthy disruption to residents.
Mr Whitby said in a statement: “It is vital that remote, rural communities have mobile and digital connectivity; this is not a luxury, it is a necessity.
“I have visited Parwich and spoken with residents affected by the significant disruption caused by the outage and extended loss of the O2 signal. Without reliable access to essential services, vulnerable residents are left isolated. Doctors, hospitals, and health centres are unable to contact patients resulting in missed messages and missed appointments.
“Residents cannot access their bank accounts, or make payments.
“Local tradespeople are losing business and suffering financial loss.
“Energy companies are forcing customers onto higher charging rates because meter readings cannot be taken. None of this is acceptable.”
Mr Whitby added: “I have contacted O2 and been assured that it is now in receipt of the essential element of the mast that provides mobile connectivity. I have also been assured by O2 that a specialist engineer will be visiting the site week commencing 27th October 2025. I will be monitoring developments closely, and continuing to work with residents to ensure they have the mobile and digital connectivity they need and are entitled to.”
Mr Whitby said he proposed to raise telecoms issues identified by residents in an an oral of written question to Government ministers. He agreed it was time that the telecoms sector provided a service comparable with the electricity and water industries that begin repairs with urgency.
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