Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

5G Roll-out

Wednesday 20 November 2024 · 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 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK ranks 22nd out of 25 European countries for 5G download speeds and availability.
  • A third of households in Aldershot cannot connect to 5G, nearly three times the national average.
  • There are total mobile notspots in areas like Porthgain, despite reported improvements in connectivity.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alex Baker Lab Aldershot
Science & Technology
Context

The UK's 5G rollout has been criticized for being too slow, ranking 22nd out of 25 European countries in terms of download speeds and availability.

Question

What comparative assessment has the government made of the effectiveness of the roll-out of 5G in (a) the UK and (b) other countries?

Answer from Chris Bryant

Unfortunately, the UK's roll-out of 5G has been far too slow. According to Opensignal, the UK ranks 22nd out of 25 European countries for 5G download speeds and availability after 14 years of Conservative rule. We are determined to change that, aiming to have higher-quality stand-alone 5G in all populated areas by 2030.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question was about a comparative assessment, but the answer only partially addressed UK's situation without providing international comparisons or specific data from other countries.

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Q2 Alex Baker Lab Aldershot
Transport Science & Technology
Context

According to Ofcom, a third of households in Aldershot cannot connect to 5G, which is nearly three times the national average.

Question

Access to 5G data is a real issue in Aldershot. According to Ofcom, a third of our households cannot connect to 5G—nearly three times the national average. What are the Government doing to give residents in Aldershot and Farnborough the same data access as the rest of the country, and will the Minister make that work a priority?

Answer from Chris Bryant

My hon. Friend is right: that work has to be a priority for businesses, families and everybody engaged in her constituency, and for the public sector. We want the Ministry of Defence in her constituency, for instance, to have the highest-quality data access possible, so that we can deliver more effective and productive government across the whole United Kingdom.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer acknowledges the issue but does not provide specific actions or commitments to address 5G access issues in Aldershot and Farnborough.

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Q3 Ben Lake PC Ceredigion Preseli
Transport
Context

Despite improvements, there remain total mobile notspots such as Porthgain and evidence that the connectivity reported by Ofcom does not match the lived experience of people.

Question

There have been great improvements in connectivity across Ceredigion Preseli, but there remain total mobile notspots such as Porthgain, and a growing body of evidence collected locally that the connectivity reported by Ofcom does not quite stack up against the lived experience of those on the ground. Will the Minister meet me so that I can present some of the evidence collected by local authorities in Ceredigion Preseli and he can address the problem?

Answer from Chris Bryant

The hon. Gentleman has just said what I said a few minutes ago. It is great that Plaid Cymru is signing up to the Labour party's agenda these days, but it is upsetting that he forgot to mention the seven high-quality masts extending better coverage of 4G in Wales that have been installed in the last couple of months alone.

Not addressed: The answer diverts from discussing connectivity issues and focuses on a political comment about Plaid Cymru's agenda.

How: Political Commentary

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