A mobile telephone mast in my house!

Those who know me, will know that I am fascinated by mobile technology and occasionally write about it on my blog. Well, I have some news to share. I am proud to say that I have a mini-mobile telephone mast in my house. Given the controversy about these mobile masts, you probably think I have gone mad.

Let me explain. It isn't one of those long aerial type pylons. It is a small white box, something akin to a wireless router. It is called the Vodafone Gateway, and I have to say, is simply incredible.

Since I moved into my new house in Newhall earlier this month, I was aghast to find that there was no Vodafone signal. Although O2 worked (luckily my work Blackberry is on O2), the Vodafone signal was terrible, virtually non-existent.

I called up Vodafone, and they sent me this amazing contraption (which is part of an upgrade). You simply plug it in to your broadband, register all your Vodafone numbers on the net, and hey presto, you have a full Vodafone 3G signal.

I think my Vodafone Gateway is a unique machine. It means that every house can get mobile broadband - at full warp speed - without needing to worry about the inadequacies of a mobile signal. Mobile Broadband, is also cheaper than the full cable/landline version.

The Gateway, is a very important development in the advancement of mobile technology. As other networks no doubt get their own version of the Gateway - and as they are taken up by mobile users - there will be less and less need for landlines. In keeping with this trend, 3 network have invented the Mi-FI, in essence a mobile Wi-FI machine that can link up numerous computers to internet via the mobile Network. I am more and more convinced that the days of cables and land lines are over.

A Good Saturday

It’s a lovely quiet night in as I have had a long day campaigning. In the morning I was outside Church Langley Tesco’s with local Cllrs Andrew Johnson, Simon Carter and Clive Souter. I had a good discussion with the relatively new manager of Tescos, Mark about the new Wind Turbines. I have had a number of emails about this issue and wanted reassurance. The Manager promise that these Turbines would be silent and were not turbines in the traditional sense- more like revolving lampposts with ears. It is good that Tescos’ is concerned about the environment- as long as local residents are not inconvenienced in the process. Whilst I was at Tescos, I was astonished to learn that of Council rents collected by Harlow Council, the Government take away £13 million for spending out of Harlow! £!3 million!! Imagine what could happen if Harlow Council was able to spend its own money, instead of being forced to hand over so much to Gordon Brown and be spent in Scotland and the North of England.

After Tescos, it was off to Church Langley to do some canvassing door to door. Most residents expressed real upset about the state of the economy – high taxes and high debt. I have promised to raise the concerns of one local resident about allocation to Passmores school. She told me that contrary to previous years, very few children in Church Langley were being offered places in Passmores – this was because of the closure of Brays Grove and the future re-building of Passmores on the old Brays Grove site. I promised that I would take up the concerns with Essex Council.

Before going home I had went to the O2 shop in Broadwalk to try and pick up my blackberry- not ready yet! I also had a look at an amazing new phone, the Sony Ericsson C905. This tiny phone has 8 million pixels camera on it which is state of art. It really is incredible what phones have on them nowadays. Sadly my upgrade isn’t till June, so I will have to wait so I can get this phone for free on my contract! I had to stop at the cafe just opposite Barclays. In my view they make one of the best cups of coffee in Harlow, and it was good to drink my coffee and read the paper and relax a little.



Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon and Sheering.