Sir – I refer to my previous letter to you (November 26 last year) and your article on January 7 about problems with mobile phone signals.

Burford’s problems seem comparable to those that have been afflicting Vodafone customers in Witney since the degradation of data services from the beginning of September last year – and for which there still appears to be no prospect of a solution.

At a time when the Government continues to promise improved broadband services for rural areas, it is extremely important that this is for both fixed cable systems (into the home or office) and air/mobile systems (such that professionals on the road can receive data files on to their 3G mobile smartphones and take immediate action by responding to that information).

Presumably the latter would be important in the forthcoming General Election, when constituency offices need to brief their candidates and volunteers when they’re out on the road?

For Witney it seems impossible to get a commitment from Vodafone as to when services will go back to their level of last summer, rather than leaving us with just poor services.

When precisely will the long-running works to their Oxford Hill mast be completed?

John Fisher, The Willows, Witney