Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Thirty-Fifth Report - Supporting mobile connectivity
Public Accounts Committee
HC 650
Published 28 May 2024
Recommendations
17
Deferred
Department lacks exact knowledge of specific geographical areas without 4G coverage post-programme.
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
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
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Conclusions (2)
3
Conclusion
Deferred
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 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.
16
Conclusion
Deferred
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 Summary
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.