The poor mobile phone companies can't win.

Last week, Graham Chainey (Letters, October 26) suggested the mobile phone networks were "inefficient" because they needed lots of masts just to cover an area such as Brighton and Hove.

Then, on Monday, we had another misguided soul bemoaning her house being close - "close" is more than 90 metres, by the way - to a new mast ("Mother threatens mast court action", October 28).

The reason we need hundreds of masts is because they broadcast at such minuscule power, on average between 0.5 and two watts (the same power as a battery).

Trying to make or receive a call as you enter Brighton on the Lewes Road around Moulsecoomb is nigh on impossible so this mast is very much needed.

-Stuart Payne, Plainfields Avenue, Patcham