Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Deferred
Confirm remaining 4G coverage gaps and develop plans for alternative connectivity in underserved areas.
Conclusion
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, the Department committed to increasing 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass, but, because the location of masts was not certain, it did not confirm which specific geographical areas would benefit from better coverage. Although the location of masts and the areas that will gain 4G coverage is now clearer, the Department has not set out where the remaining coverage gaps will be or determined how it will ensure that consumers and businesses in these areas get the coverage they need. The 5% of landmass that will not gain coverage from the Shared Rural Network programme is extremely rural and remote, with very low population and only small numbers of people travelling through, and the Department’s view is that there is a line to be drawn on how much to invest in those areas where it might not make economic sense to build a mast. The Department acknowledges that it might be more economical to use alternative technologies such as low earth orbit satellites instead of masts to provide coverage in these areas. Recommendation 3: With clearer information about the proposed location of masts, the Department should now confirm which areas of the UK will still not have 4G connectivity once the Shared Rural Network programme is complete. It should assess the impact of this on communities in these areas and develop a plan for alternative ways of ensuring they get the connectivity they need.
Government Response Summary
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 programme.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. of coverage at this stage in the programme. This is because the final number, composition and location of sites is not yet finalised – nor is it likely to be before the end of 2025. DMSL do already publish a high-level map of where coverage is expected to reach by the end of the programme, available on the SRN website and based on the initial radio plan submitted to Ofcom in 2020. It is likely that, while a small percentage of the UK’s landmass will remain uncovered, the number of people living and working in these areas will remain extremely low; Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report shows that 99% of UK premises already have indoor access to at least one mobile network operator’s 4G network already – meaning that very few premises across the UK are likely to remain without connectivity by the end of the programme. Upon completion of the site acquisition phase of the programme, identification of remaining areas not set to be covered by 4G will be undertaken.