Weak mobile signals in border areas can make seniors’ emergency buttons unreliable

Mobile phone coverage in Dutch border towns remains unreliable, leaving residents unable to reach emergency services and creating dangerous situations, according to AD. In one incident earlier this year, a 77-year-old man in Ven-Zelderheide spent half an hour on the floor after a fall because his phone and emergency alarm button failed to work.

The problem affects multiple towns in Noord-Limburg, including Milsbeek, where some residents cannot find emergency smartwatches that reliably contact help. Phones often switch between Dutch and German networks or lose signal entirely, leaving gaps in connectivity.

“A lack of mobile connectivity creates dangerous situations,” Sjoerd Maillé, a VVD politician in Limburg, told AD. “It is shocking and should not happen. With all the technical possibilities today, I cannot imagine there are still areas where the phone network is so poorly managed.”

Coverage issues are also reported in parts of Gelderland, including the Achterhoek and Veluwe. CDA politician Daisy Vliegenthart-Goedhart said she will submit written questions to the provincial government to clarify the extent of the gaps. “Emergency services must be reachable everywhere. That is not a regional luxury; it is a national necessity,” she told AD.

Dutch telecom providers are legally required to provide coverage across at least 98 percent of each municipality, excluding Natura 2000 protected areas and open water. KPN, Vodafone, and Odido said they meet these obligations. KPN noted that 112 emergency calls are “almost universally reachable” and take priority over regular traffic.

Providers acknowledged that in border areas, signal strength may be reduced to avoid interfering with networks across the border. “This can make local coverage slightly weaker,” an Odido spokesperson said.

The Limburg provincial government said it has raised the problem with the national government. “Limburg is not responsible for coverage. That responsibility lies in The Hague and with telecom providers,” a spokesperson said. Province commissioner Emile Roemer, who lives in Gennep, said he will coordinate with colleagues in Gelderland, Overijssel, and Germany’s Nordrhein-Westfalen to map mobile coverage gaps along the border.