House of Commons · Westminster Hall
21 May 2025 · 15 other contributors · 5,125 words
Opened by Anna Sabine Lib Dem Frome and East Somerset
Responding minister: Chris Bryant
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Anna Sabine raised concerns about broadband and mobile connectivity: rural areas in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
Anna Sabine asks for confirmation of when households will receive the promised map identifying inclusion in Project Gigabit, along with details on how those excluded will be served. She also requests assurance that the remaining £2 billion funding for Project Gigabit will remain protected to avoid undermining full-fibre connectivity efforts in rural communities.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Residents of rural areas like Lamyatt, Doulting, Alhampton, West Pennard and Witham Friary have reported poor broadband and mobile signal quality, which is often too expensive, slow and unreliable. A local farm was quoted over £250,000 by Openreach to connect a wire across a short distance for full-fibre broadband. The elderly and vulnerable face difficulties due to the digital switchover with unreliable mobile signals. Many still rely on landlines not by choice but necessity.
Remote areas becoming new-build areas often lack mobile or broadband infrastructure, which should be looked into as it can be a particular problem when telecom companies are not fully involved in the planning aspects.
Too many people in South Devon are still cut off by poor digital infrastructure. Airband promised to deliver broadband but failed spectacularly, leaving villages like Staverton with no mobile signal at all. Ms Voaden stated that digital connectivity is now a necessity rather than a luxury, urging the Government to treat rural areas with the same priority as urban ones and inquired about satellite internet provision for very remote areas.
Explained that Project Gigabit is designed to assist with rural connectivity and invited Edward Morello to attend a drop-in session for more information.
The structure of the mobile tower market in the UK is holding back investment in 5G. Some regulations lead to a concentrated market that does not invest quickly enough in more towers, particularly in rural constituencies.
Connectivity should be considered at the earliest stages of any new development to ensure that remote areas do not lack mobile or broadband infrastructure. Mr Smith emphasised the impact of storms on rural connectivity and suggested that the government should look into providing generators for mobile masts to ensure resilience.
Asked how the Government can help small businesses in rural areas connect communities faster.
The new Government is investing £500 million next year through Project Gigabit to deliver digital infrastructure upgrades. High quality, stand-alone 5G is crucial to unlocking the economic and social potential of rural communities.
Mr Frith questioned how to advise his constituents affected by Openreach’s changing investment plans, particularly concerning the community of Affetside which feels let down despite previous commitments.
Rurality does not necessarily correlate with population density; my constituency is a city but mobile signal is non-existent in the city centre, causing real issues for businesses.
Suggests a nationwide programme to deliver 3G broadband across the UK, addressing the issue as a national challenge.
BDUK should find alternative providers that can fill the gap left by companies such as Airband when they give up in places like Branscombe, Churchill, and east Devon.
Ollie, a constituent in Glastonbury and Somerton, works in video editing but relies on outdated copper infrastructure that restricts upload speeds. Outdated infrastructure is undermining rural employment.
Discusses challenges faced by businesses reliant on copper landlines, including outages and delays in full-fibre roll-out, emphasizing the need for Openreach to support rural areas.
Highlights an investigation by The Observer stating that mobile coverage is more than 1,000 times worse than reported by Ofcom, emphasizing it as a national problem affecting densely populated urban areas like Tettenhall.
Agrees with the need for nationwide efforts to resolve connectivity issues and notes half of her constituency falls in the worst 10% for broadband coverage.
Government Response
Chris BryantThe Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms
The Minister acknowledged the importance of both mobile and fixed connectivity in rural areas and highlighted that while urban areas face different but equally challenging issues with fibre deployment, the government's ambition is to achieve 5G stand-alone coverage and full fibre deployment across as much of the country as possible. He discussed various options including satellite provision and fixed wireless connections for remote areas where traditional infrastructure is impractical. The Minister also addressed ongoing challenges such as commercial operators changing investment plans and the need for Building Digital UK to manage subsidies effectively.