notspot

Simpson, Hathaway and McKinnon of class 6B are on a field trip to a mining area as part of a case study into fracking. Mr Mortimer (snug and warm in a local café) has asked all the groups of three children to remain in contact by texting him every 30 minutes. The two boys suddenly hear Hathaway remark:

“God, I hate these notspots!”

A notspot is …

a) an ugly, lonely part of the world where nothing much happens.
b) an area where you can’t get any mobile phone signal.
c) a facial rash caused by exposure to cold weather which looks like a bad case of acne (spots).

Here is the correct answer.

Apparently Hathaway is having trouble contacting Mr Mortimer. A notspot (as opposed to a hot spot) is an area where it is not possible to receive mobile phone, Internet, TV or radio signals. The Wales Tourism Alliance declared in November 2011 that the numerous Welsh notspots and slow spots are having an adverse effect on the tourism industry, as “tech-savvy” visitors are staying away and choosing alternative “wired” destinations. The Welsh government recognises the seriousness of the situation and is providing financial support to those businesses wishing to upgrade their broadband provisions.

a) Wales has the highest number of notspots in the UK.
b) About 3 million UK homes have been designated as notspots or slow spots, i.e. they have broadband speeds of less than 2Mbps (megabits per second).
c) Many hoteliers have invested thousands of pounds in faster wireless broadband in order to combat the notspot problem for their guests.