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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Supporting mobile connectivity

Status: Closed Opened: 22 Mar 2024 Closed: 29 May 2024 7 recommendations 27 conclusions 1 report

The Government has set a challenging ambition to deliver UK-wide reliable mobile connectivity. Its plans for 5G coverage are reliant on private sector investment, action from multiple departments and bodies, and learning lessons from the past. In March 2020, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) launched a connectivity improvement programme the Shared Rural …

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Thirty-Fifth Report - Supporting mobile connectivity HC 650 28 May 2024 34 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
3 Conclusion Thirty-Fifth Report - Supporting mobile… Deferred

Confirm remaining 4G coverage gaps and develop plans for alternative connectivity in underserved areas.

The Department has not confirmed which specific areas are in the 5% of the UK landmass that will not have 4G connectivity, and it does not yet have a plan for ensuring that consumers and businesses in these areas get the connectivity they need. At the outset of the programme, …

Government response. The department cannot confirm which specific areas will remain without 4G connectivity yet, as site locations are not finalized before late 2025. Identification of remaining uncovered areas will be undertaken only upon completion of the site acquisition phase of the …
HM Treasury
16 Conclusion Thirty-Fifth Report - Supporting mobile… Deferred

Remaining 5% without 4G coverage are unpopulated areas with limited benefit for infrastructure.

We were concerned about the people in the 5% of the UK landmass that would have no 4G coverage after December 2025, and whether these communities would lose out forever. The Department assured us that the 5% consisted of the most unpopulated areas of the country, such as extremely remote …

Government response. The government states it's not yet possible to predict exact areas without 4G but will undertake identification of remaining uncovered areas upon completion of the site acquisition phase. It reiterates that few people are expected to be affected.
HM Treasury
17 Recommendation Thirty-Fifth Report - Supporting mobile… Deferred

Department lacks exact knowledge of specific geographical areas without 4G coverage post-programme.

The Department’s business case for the Shared Rural Network programme did not confirm which specific geographical areas would benefit from better coverage as a result of the programme and which would not.29 We therefore asked if the Department now knew which specific geographical areas would have lower coverage after the …

Government response. The government agrees but states that identifying specific unserved areas is not possible yet as site locations are not finalised; identification will be undertaken upon completion of the site acquisition phase, with a target date of January 2027.
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
22 Apr 2024 Dean Creamer CBE · Building Digital UK, Emran Mian CB OBE · Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Sarah Munby · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy View ↗