The case summarized several areas in Norway, including the municipality of Åmli, is struggling with poor or no mobile coverage, which may be an emergency problem in emergency cases, the mayor believes. A man recently died after a canoe melt in the municipality of Åmli, when neighbors struggled to call the emergency services due to poor mobile coverage. According to Nkom, 83.3 per cent of Norway is mobile coverage, but the telephone companies are responsible for coverage themselves. County emergency manager in Agder, Yngve Årøy, believes that society is becoming increasingly dependent on the mobile network, even in emergencies. Telenor estimates that it will cost around NOK 5 million to set up a mobile mast in Skjeggedal in Åmli. Åmli municipality examines opportunities to improve mobile coverage, as there is no support from the state or county for this. The summary is made by a Ki service from Openai. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publishing. – There are people living and traveling in areas with poor or completely without coverage. It is an emergency problem in emergency cases. This is what the mayor of Åmli municipality Hans Fredrik Tangen says about several areas in the municipality. At Easter, a man died after overturning in a canoe in Vervatn in Åmli municipality. Due to poor mobile coverage, a neighbor had to drive several minutes from the scene of the accident to be able to call the emergency services. – In Skjeggedal there are a handful of people and there are some cabins there, so it is important to get better telephone communication in place. It probably applies to many other places in the country as well, says the mayor Telenor’s coverage map shows how good the coverage is in your area. White areas, typically in mountains and national parks, do not have coverage. Facsimile: Screenshot/Telenor The areas without coverage You will see the coverage maps of the telecommunications companies, there are white dots that show lack of mobile coverage across the country. According to Nkom, 16.3 percent of the country does not have mobile coverage. Coverage director at Telenor Bjørn Amundsen says that there are several similar areas in Norway as Skjeggedal. In Solund municipality in Vestland, there are areas with poor or no coverage. The same applies to the area at Sørfjorden in Sortland municipality in Nordland. Here is, among other things, a cabin area, which is used. Hardangervidda is one of several national parks that have poor or no coverage. – It is generally difficult to solve the challenge with mobile networks in national parks. There are enormous costs and considerations for the nature we must take, says Amundsen. Coverage director Bjørn Amundsen talks about several areas similar to Åmli. Photo: Telenor Requirements for safety Chief Engineer in Nkom Roger Markussen says that the coverage calculation cannot be used as exact science. – The operators are responsible for the coverage themselves, he says. There are several requirements for security that appear in the Act on Electronic Communication. Among other things, the telephone companies will ensure proper protection of communication and data. The requirements do not apply specifically to mobile coverage, Nkom writes to news. It was in Vervatn in Åmli Canna field happened on Friday last week. Photo: Leif Dalen / news depending on the mobile network county emergency manager in Agder Yngve Årøy believes that we are becoming increasingly dependent on the mobile network, even in emergency situations. – The country is not designed to have coverage everywhere, nor is it socially favorable, he says. If you are going to go in an area where there is poor coverage, he has some tips: How to keep you safe without coverage You should form a clear mobile coverage in the area if you are going to do an activity that involves some risk. The telephone providers have coverage maps on their website. Consider whether to drop the activity if you are completely dependent on coverage or do it somewhere else. Check the weather forecast and make sure you do not expose yourself to any risk. If you are going out to an area without coverage and engaged in risky activity, make sure you can notify if something happens. Årøy emphasizes that the most important thing is to use common sense when taking an assessment. Driven a long way for coverage nearest neighbor at the accident site in Åmli Lars Johan Skjeggedal says that it took time before he got in touch with the emergency services. – I drove what I could with the tractor. I had to drive a while before I called 113, he says. Skjeggedal says he got a high heart rate, because he showed that there is no good coverage in the area. – Every minute counts, so it’s not okay with such a bad connection. It was Lars Johan Skjeggedal who had to drive out on the road to contact the emergency services. Photo: Leif Dalen / news highlights the problem The mayor says that it was a tragic accident and emphasizes that he has compassion for the survivors. – The accident also focuses on an issue that we have in several places in our municipality. The areas without coverage are far from what Årøy describes as the blue light units. Therefore, he believes that stable coverage is extra important in areas where there is a long response time. Mayor of Åmli believes that poor coverage is a problem for safety. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news According to Telenor, it will cost around NOK 5 million to set up a mobile mast in Skjeggedal in Åmli. Furthermore, the municipality will investigate what exists of opportunities. – There is no support from the state or county to get better mobile coverage and the municipality cannot afford it itself. We see if it is possible to get more players together to find a solution. Published 27.04.2025, at. 18.41
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