The troubles associated with being a “border baby” (aka born along the Northern Ireland – Republic of Ireland border) are complex. Steeped in a multi-generational cocktail of patriotism and terrorism, there is little that Unionists and Nationalists can agree on when it comes to the border. Whether it is the welcome signs (Hennessy, 2019) or what post-Brexit border will be least catastrophic there is a constant battle of opinions.
There is one thing, however, that will eternally unite the people of the 39 Northern Irish border towns. The downright horrors of cross-border telecommunication issues.
Yes, since mobile devices first made their way to the technologically stunted Northern Ireland, there has been problems. Cross-border roaming is the inconvenient and incredibly costly practice of unknowingly connecting to a Republic of Ireland network while in Northern Ireland, and vice versa (Border People, 2019). In areas of unstable connection or when travelling within close proximity of a border, often a device will roam to the nearest and dearest mast, unknowingly charging its owner extortionate amounts to even just receive texts and calls. An Ofcom report found that in 2012 those living along the border racked up an additional average annual expense of £300 due to this technological hop-scotch (BBC News, 2019). Ofcom’s research also found that 48% of Northern Ireland mobile users who were unintentionally connected to a Republic of Ireland signal were unaware of the exact amount this roaming was costing them (Ofcom, 2005).
These expenses don’t consider intentional cross-border mingling. For many years, it was the norm for any business person, avid traveller or cross-border student to have two phones. This plight on the people of Northern Ireland seemed to be coming to an end on the 15th of June 2017. The abolishment of EU phone roaming charges was a huge step forward for technological borders in the Europe (but more on this in another blog!).
While being overcharged for the use of your mobile phone is an inconvenience, there was a far, far more serious side effect of the roaming problem. I cast my mind back to when I was 11 years old and I had my first realisation of how inconvenient and unfair life in Northern Ireland could be. As an 11-year-old, I had been well sheltered from the post-Good Friday Agreement sectarianism and violence that still lingered. I thought living in Northern Ireland was great because we didn’t have to pay for our school books or doctor’s visits like my southern cousins. This came crashing down around me during The X Factor final in 2008…
In the 2008 series of The X Factor, there was a contestant who hailed from County Derry by the name of Eoghan Quigg. Not many Northern Irish people have had success in ANY industry (and those who have may not be the best ambassadors of the NI brand, *cough cough* Liam Neeson…) so our town was gripped in excitement. The girls loved him, the grannies loved him – he had the full package.
Upon his reaching the final of the show, a viewing party was hosted in Derry City. Fans from neighbouring towns flocked to watch with bated breath as Eoghan Quigg, a lad we felt we all knew due to our shared accent, gave his rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. And then the voting began. Everyone who had gathered there was well au fait with The X Factor voting process. We had all but memorised the charming Eoghan Quigg pre-recorded thank you message that greeted voters. However, on that fateful night we would not be greeted with that message. Not even once.
Perhaps it was the weather, perhaps it was the traffic on the phone lines, perhaps it was God spiting the people of Derry but every single phone was stubbornly connected to a Republic of Ireland network. And, horrors of horrors, Republic of Ireland viewers could not vote in The X Factor. (This has since changed (Newsdesk, 2019), which is little consolation to 11-year-old Sinead.)
Alas, Eoghan Quigg did not win the X Factor and since that day I have had to live with the guilty weight of knowing I did not cast a single vote to help him achieve fame (he has starred in many pantos in Derry City since, a jarring juxtaposition from sharing the stage with Beyoncé).
So, for many years the people of Northern Ireland lived with 310 miles of flickering signals and turning on and off data roaming. In June of 2017 this burden was alleviated by the powers of the EU. Northern Irish Telecomms has made leaps and bounds, placing it as one of the most connected areas (Which?, 2019) in the UK. In the face of Brexit, most of the discussion is focused on hard border, soft border, scrambled border. I wonder if will Brexit mean that the people of Northern Ireland and Irish border towns must head to the shops on the 30th of March to purchase a second phone. Will we go back to roaming charges and daily inconveniences? Will these two years of borderless roaming bliss be remembered nostalgically and fondly, as simply too good to be true?
“There is no Irish Border… That’s a British Border .. the Irish Border is the beach !!” – (Price, 2019)
References:
BBC News. (2019). NI mobile customers face roaming problem. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-18875128 [Accessed 15 Feb. 2019].
Border People. (2019). Mobile phones in Northern Ireland – Border People. [online] Available at: http://borderpeople.info/a-z/mobile-phones-in-northern-ireland.html [Accessed 15 Feb. 2019].
Hennessy, M. (2019). ‘Welcome to Northern Ireland’ signs spark political row. [online] TheJournal.ie. Available at: https://www.thejournal.ie/welcome-to-northern-ireland-sign-548794-Aug2012/ [Accessed 15 Feb. 2019].
Newsdesk, T. (2019). The X Factor opens to Irish Voting | Hotpress. [online] Hotpress. Available at: https://www.hotpress.com/music/ithe-x-factori-opens-to-irish-voting-7024415 [Accessed 15 Feb. 2019].
Ofcom (2005). Cross-border telecoms issues. Report of ComReg/Ofcom Joint Working Group. [online] Ofcom. Available at: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20150107140135/http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/telecoms-research/jwg-border.pdf [Accessed 15 Feb. 2019].
Price, R. (2019). ‘The Irish border is the beach’ – Irish comedian brilliantly corrects British politicians on the border issue | The Irish Post. [online] The Irish Post. Available at: https://www.irishpost.com/news/irish-comedian-brilliantly-corrects-british-politicians-border-issue-160073 [Accessed 15 Feb. 2019].
Which?. (2019). Mobile Phone Coverage In Northern Ireland – Which?. [online] Available at: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phone-providers/article/mobile-phone-coverage-across-the-uk/mobile-phone-coverage-in-northern-ireland [Accessed 15 Feb. 2019].
Beyond The Border 