A series of arson attacks on 5G masts in west Belfast have left people feeling like they are "going backwards" in terms of mobile phone signal, residents and businesses in the area say.
A mast that police said was deliberately set on fire at an industrial estate in Dunmurry on Saturday has been extinguished.
Between January 2023 and December 2024, there were 13 incidents involving masts in the area, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has said.
The vandalism has resulted in sporadic, unreliable phone signal in some areas, with one man who lives on the Glen Road saying it is "very frustrating" when it "fades out completely".
Attacks include phone masts being deliberately set on fire on the Andersonstown Road and Stewartstown Road.
"I'm on work calls and I have to try to second guess the exact spot in the house to stand in, so that I can continue a conversation," Jim Deeds told BBC News NI.
His mother is housebound and recently had a fall. He said she "relies on the mobile phone, just to check in through the day".
"There are times when I'm on a call with her and it sounds like she's underwater.
"Sometimes she feels that she's to blame, that maybe she's not mastering the technology when it isn't that at all," he said.
A spokesperson for Virgin Media O2 said five west Belfast sites have been the target of arson attacks in the last 12 months, affecting "the coverage and capacity of the network".
It said its team was "working hard to get these damaged masts working again and has carried out optimisation work to improve the coverage whilst repairs take place".
Other network providers are also affected by the mast attacks.
What is behind the west Belfast mast attacks?
While the masts carry signal for a phone network, the actual physical infrastructure is owned and operated by the firm Cornerstone – it said it was aware some people have concerns about mobile phone base stations.
"The strong consensus of expert groups and public health agencies, such as the World Health Organization, is that no health risks have been established from exposure to the low-level radio signals used by these base stations," Cornerstone said.
"Without network coverage, west Belfast will miss out on the kind of opportunities that will make the area a better place to live."
