Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Mobile Coverage in Rural Areas

Thursday 10 December 2020 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government have agreed a 1 billion deal with mobile network operators to deliver the shared rural network.
  • This deal aims to achieve 95% mobile coverage in rural areas by the end of 2025.
  • Minister praised the work of local councils in Wrexham and Denbighshire for improving rural mobile connectivity.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Simon Baynes
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The question follows government initiatives aimed at improving mobile network coverage in rural regions, focusing on the need for better connectivity.

Question

What progress his Department has made on improving mobile coverage in rural areas. The Government have announced a £1 billion deal with operators to deliver the shared rural network aiming for 95% coverage by the end of 2025.

Answer from Matt Warman

The Government have agreed a £1 billion deal with mobile network operators to deliver the shared rural network. This landmark deal will deliver 95% coverage by the end of 2025. The exact deployment plans will be managed by operators and we look forward to seeing more details of those.

Answered
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Q2 Robert Largan
Transport
Context

The MP highlights that unique geographical features of the Peak District result in some of the worst mobile phone coverage blackspots, requesting specifics on when his constituents might see improvements.

Question

The unique geography of the Peak District means that we have some of the worst mobile phone coverage blackspots anywhere in the country. I welcome the introduction of the shared rural network but can the Minister provide further information to the House on when my constituents might see some of the benefit of this? Would he agree to meet me so we can discuss how we can roll out better phone coverage to the whole High Peak?

Answer from Matt Warman

The shared rural network is already benefiting some parts of the country but my hon. Friend is right that in areas such as High Peak it cannot come soon enough. I am very happy to meet him to discuss that, and I am very happy for him to join me in continuing to encourage operators to make their plans public as quickly as possible.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific timelines

How: Encourage Operators To Make Their Plans Public

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Q3 Simon Baynes
Local Government Environment
Context

The MP acknowledges the significant work of local councils, particularly digital officers from Wrexham and Denbighshire, in tackling complex mobile coverage problems.

Question

Will the Minister join me in praising the often unsung work of local councils in improving rural mobile connectivity such as the digital officers of Wrexham and Denbighshire councils in Clwyd South who bring together local solutions to complex mobile coverage problems?

Answer from Matt Warman

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that whether it is in Wrexham and Denbighshire or up and down the country the work of local authorities has been absolutely essential in delivering the kind of bespoke solutions that work best for local communities. I am grateful to those in Wrexham and Denbighshire who have engaged closely with my Department's barrier-busting taskforce to make sure that his constituents get the connectivity that they deserve.

Answered
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