Three Ireland (Hutchison) Limited.

Registered Office:
28/29 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay,
Dublin 2, Ireland.

Richard Bruton T.D.

Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment
Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment
29 – 31 Adelaide Road
Dublin 2
D02 X28

Friday, 17th April 2020

***Strictly Private and Confidential, not for FOI, contains Business Secrets***

Dear Minister,

Firstly, I want to thank you and the Government for your ongoing support and leadership
during these unprecedented and challenging times.

As you are aware, the Three network provides essential connectivity to many around the
country during this crisis: emergency services, families checking in on loved ones, students
continuing their education from home. It is also enabling people to work, stay informed and be
entertained as they observe the Government’s direction to stay at home.

In this context, I am writing to seek your support to publicly dispel unfounded concerns and
misinformation surrounding the linking of Covid-19 and 5G mobile networks. As you know,
recent theories falsely connecting 5G to the spread of Covid-19 have been circulating on Irish
social media platforms. There is absolutely no basis for these claims which add unnecessarily
to public anxiety about health and safety, undermine the clear health guidance given by
Government relating to Covid-19 and is damaging to the businesses that rely on our services.

Of even greater concern is that we have now seen criminal damage to masts in Ireland,
following the trend in the UK and across Europe. These acts of vandalism, in addition to
affecting citizen’s ability to stay connected from their homes, have the potential to cause direct
loss of life, through the inability of people to contact emergency services.

Three’s engineers are working through the ongoing lockdown to keep the people of Ireland
connected, both to their loved ones and to their work. We have instructed our teams to check
in with local Gardai before visiting any site, as although their work is vital, the recent arson of
phone masts in Donegal is concerning for us as an employer and as a service provider. In the
UK, it is reported there have been 30 incidents of arson or vandalism of mobile technology
and 80 incidents of harassment of mobile telecoms workers. Fears around 5G masts are
completely baseless and the actions of a small minority that are vandalising masts and
disrupting services must be addressed by all agencies of the state.

Minister, I would welcome your assistance in addressing this misinformation that will not only
have a negative effect on current telecommunications services but in the long term, impact on
Ireland’s ability to be a leader in 5G technology.

Directors. Canning Fok: British. Frank Sixt: Canadian. Edith Shih: British. Christian Salbaing: French. Registered number: 316982
Elaine Carey: Irish. Simon Henry: British. David Hennessy: Irish. Robert Finnegan: Irish Place of registration: Republic of Ireland
 Three Ireland (Hutchison) Limited.
Registered Office:
28/29 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay,
Dublin 2, Ireland.

***Strictly Private and Confidential, not for FOI, contains Business Secrets***

I acknowledge that this issue was addressed in the officials’ briefing on Covid-19 on 14th April.
I would ask that further opportunities are taken to counter the dangerous misinformation being
spread. It might also be useful if respected and expert agencies like the HSE and EPA take a
more proactive role in providing factual information and reassurance. I would also be grateful
if you could, through the Minister for Justice, urge the Gardai to focus on bringing those
responsible for this criminal activity to justice.

Sincerely,

_____________________________
Robert Finnegan
CEO, Three

CC Ciarán O hObain Assistant Secretary Department for Communications

CC Jeremy Godfrey Commissioner ComReg

Directors. Canning Fok: British. Frank Sixt: Canadian. Edith Shih: British. Christian Salbaing: French. Registered number: 316982
Elaine Carey: Irish. Simon Henry: British. David Hennessy: Irish. Robert Finnegan: Irish Place of registration: Republic of Ireland