Mobile phones are so integrated into our daily lives that we often turn to them without a second thought. Within museums, visitors might use them to take photographs or quickly google points of interest. They might put posts, including some of those photos, on to their social media. They might even find QR codes to scan.
The potential for browser-based mobile access apps has been explored by Alan Hook in his series of blog posts, beginning here. Content accessed via mobile phones are a frequent component to the modern museum experience.
Across museums in Northern Ireland, access to mobile data is uneven. Even acknowledging access to free wireless internet at some institutions, this can create barriers to access for new digital content.
As a part of our digital media work package, we have collated information on mobile connectivity on four major networks (Three, o2, EE, Vodafone) at all the accredited museums listed on the website of the Northern Ireland Museums Council. The data has been taken from the Signal Checker website, which allows users to search for connectivity data using a postcode, and is publicly accessible. Of the 42 accredited museums, signal data was available for 36. From this, a picture of two-tier access to mobile data across Northern Ireland is evident.
Of the 36 museums for which data was collected, only a small minority had access to a 5G data signal (7 on Three; 6 with o2; 8 with EE; 2 with Vodafone). Those museums with 5G connectivity are predominantly in Belfast, such as the Ulster Museum and the Linen Hall Library, or in nearby towns such as Newtonabbey (Sentry Hill) and Newtonards (Somme Museum).
We also found some division depending on network. For example, while almost all locations have good indoor 3G and 4G connectivity for users on Three, o2, or Vodafone, connection issues can be expected across 12 locations for those using EE. This data will also not capture building specific connectivity issues.
While this is rough, broad-brush data, there is a clear imbalance between connectivity within Belfast and across the rest of the country. This is a reminder that any plans for innovation within museums are constrained by the imbalances of digital connectivity between urban and rural settings, or from one part of a country to another.
Full table of mobile connectivity data
If any of this information requires updating please contact us at museumsandcovid@ulster.ac.uk