Lanzarote Cabildo requests removal of mobile phone mast erected in Masdache

Lanzarote’s Cabildo will approach Telefónica, Spain’s principal telecommunications company, to request the removal of a mobile phone mast that was erected in Masdache last month.

President Oswaldo Betancort has said the request follows complaints by local residents who believe the mast may affect the health of nearby residents and children who use play areas. There are also complaints about the visual impact of such a mast in the protected zone of La Gería.

Betancort says he will ask Telefónica to seek “alternatives and solutions” that will guarantee mobile phone coverage without affecting “health, tranquillity and protected environment.” 

However, Tías Mayor José Juan Cruz has responded by saying the mast was erected with the consent of local residents and approved by the Cabildo. “The truth will out,” said Cruz. “We have fulfilled our promises to the people of Masdache. We’ve opened the bar at the centre, installed fibre optic and now we want to give them the phone coverage they asked for.”