Thatcher's Legacy Part 1

  I was sitting on a  narrow boat trying to use my mobile phone and failing. So I checked to see which networks were available where we were. Out of the networks only two were there, This seemed a bit irritating and I started to wonder why.

  Then I remembered it all went back to Mrs T and her ideologically driven government. When the mobile phone networks were being set up Mrs T believed in competition so it would obviously be good if the networks competed by having their own masts and so compete over the coverage they offered.

  The consequences of such a decision was obviously beyond her and her cabinet, Lots more masts than are needed. If the central authorities has built enough masts to cover the country then space on them could be leased to the mobile phone companies. This would have reduced the number of masts needed, so avoiding a lot of duplication of masts.

  Just by where I live there has been an application for a new mast, 11.8m high. It is an example of how competition is very often inefficient.