Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the potential for emergency use of satellite communication in remote areas of the UK which are currently without any normal mobile coverage.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Satellite connectivity can complement the coverage provided by terrestrial mobile networks by providing connectivity, for example, in remote areas beyond their reach. The mobile operators have already used satellite services to provide backhaul to some Shared Rural Network sites where it is challenging to provide traditional fibre or microwave backhaul.
Ofcom is currently consulting on proposals to authorise Direct to Device satellite services in certain mobile spectrum bands in the UK. These proposals could enable people to make satellite calls from their mobile phones and bring mobile coverage to rural areas. This consultation is an important and pioneering step towards enabling these services. We also welcome Vodafone’s recent trial in which the first ever video call over satellite was made, from an area with no terrestrial mobile coverage.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with representatives of community councils in the Highland Council area about the future of the Shared Rural Network programme.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Feedback from community councils and special interest groups play an important role in agreeing the best locations for new infrastructure as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN). Both the government and the four mobile network operators have worked with stakeholders across Scotland to ensure the benefits of new sites are balanced with any environmental impacts and other concerns.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what further consideration they have given to the size and coverage of the Shared Rural Network programme, and whether they have made any change to the scale of the programme or number of masts required as a result.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Shared Rural Network (SRN) has already delivered significant coverage improvements across the UK. However, there are still rural parts of the UK where there is either limited or no mobile coverage. The government-funded parts of the SRN will deliver this new coverage by utilising existing Home Office masts across Great Britain and building new masts in Scotland. We continue to work with the four mobile network operators to minimise the number of new masts required in Scotland and now expect to meet this part of the programme’s objectives with far fewer masts than originally planned. We expect to reach a position on exactly how many new masts will be built in Scotland soon.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 31 January (HL1716), what protection they have included in provision for the Shared Rural Network of telephone masts in the Highland region of Scotland for wild land and areas of natural beauty, and scientific importance and interest.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
4G Mobile coverage already reaches 99% of premises in the UK. The Shared Rural Network is focused on delivering connectivity not just where people live but where they work, travel and visit. In the Highlands and other areas of Scotland, whether you are a farmer wishing to utilise new technology or a visitor to one of the National Parks, digital connectivity is vital. People must be able to build lives, grow families and sustain businesses, otherwise the communities that keep a place’s culture and history alive will simply dwindle.
To minimise the impact on the environment, publicly funded masts will be shared by all four mobile network operators and existing infrastructure will be utilised wherever possible. At each potential location, an individual assessment takes account of a wide range of factors, including complying with strict planning rules for areas of natural beauty making sure we strike the right balance between connectivity and preserving the preciousness of unique landscapes.
The mobile network operators are required to work closely with local communities to ensure concerns are heard through the planning process, and local planning authorities are then responsible for approving applications.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 31 January (HL1716), what consultation they have undertaken with Community Councils in the Highland region of Scotland in relation to the siting of proposed telephone masts under the auspices of the Shared Rural Network.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
4G Mobile coverage already reaches 99% of premises in the UK. The Shared Rural Network is focused on delivering connectivity not just where people live but where they work, travel and visit. In the Highlands and other areas of Scotland, whether you are a farmer wishing to utilise new technology or a visitor to one of the National Parks, digital connectivity is vital. People must be able to build lives, grow families and sustain businesses, otherwise the communities that keep a place’s culture and history alive will simply dwindle.
To minimise the impact on the environment, publicly funded masts will be shared by all four mobile network operators and existing infrastructure will be utilised wherever possible. At each potential location, an individual assessment takes account of a wide range of factors, including complying with strict planning rules for areas of natural beauty making sure we strike the right balance between connectivity and preserving the preciousness of unique landscapes.
The mobile network operators are required to work closely with local communities to ensure concerns are heard through the planning process, and local planning authorities are then responsible for approving applications.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 31 January (HL1716), why the choice of geographical coverage for the Shared Rural Network of telephone masts includes areas in the Highland region of Scotland where coverage can reach no house or community.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
4G Mobile coverage already reaches 99% of premises in the UK. The Shared Rural Network is focused on delivering connectivity not just where people live but where they work, travel and visit. In the Highlands and other areas of Scotland, whether you are a farmer wishing to utilise new technology or a visitor to one of the National Parks, digital connectivity is vital. People must be able to build lives, grow families and sustain businesses, otherwise the communities that keep a place’s culture and history alive will simply dwindle.
To minimise the impact on the environment, publicly funded masts will be shared by all four mobile network operators and existing infrastructure will be utilised wherever possible. At each potential location, an individual assessment takes account of a wide range of factors, including complying with strict planning rules for areas of natural beauty making sure we strike the right balance between connectivity and preserving the preciousness of unique landscapes.
The mobile network operators are required to work closely with local communities to ensure concerns are heard through the planning process, and local planning authorities are then responsible for approving applications.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Viscount Camrose of 19 December 2023 (HL1000, HL1001), whether they can explain why geographical coverage was chosen as the goal for the Shared Rural Network of telephone masts, instead of population coverage.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The decision to choose geographic coverage as the preferred target for the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme reflects the longstanding commitment from the government to improve geographic mobile coverage. This includes a commitment to extend mobile coverage to 95% of the UK landmass in the 2017 manifesto.
Specifying a geographic target for the SRN recognises the need for people to be connected whilst they are on the move, and reflects our desire to end the digital divide between urban and rural areas. It ensures that the programme remains focused on delivering benefits to the most rural parts of the country.
There are a number of expected benefits of improving mobile coverage in rural areas which have often been left behind. Masts in rural areas will improve the safety of those living, working and visiting the area, enabling 4G to facilitate 999 calls for the first time. Other benefits include economic and productivity growth, as well as wider social benefits including improved consumer choice, tourism benefits and rural/urban equity.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the potential impact of telecommunications masts erected under the Shared Rural Network programme on wild land in remote areas of the Scottish Highlands.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government has a responsibility to ensure all parts of the country are able to benefit from the opportunities provided by digital connectivity. The Shared Rural Network (SRN) intentionally has geographic targets in order to tackle this challenge, and ensure the programme remains focused on the most rural parts of the country.
The exact site deployment plans for new masts under the SRN will be managed by the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) themselves in order for them to best deliver the agreed coverage targets for the programme.
The MNOs continue to work closely with local communities and planning authorities to ensure new masts go through the proper planning process and are considerate to areas of natural beauty. Planning authorities are responsible for approving applications which form part of the SRN programme and publicly funded masts will be shared by all four MNOs to minimise the impact on the environment.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they have established for the siting of telecommunications masts across the Highlands of Scotland under the Shared Rural Network programme.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government has a responsibility to ensure all parts of the country are able to benefit from the opportunities provided by digital connectivity. The Shared Rural Network (SRN) intentionally has geographic targets in order to tackle this challenge, and ensure the programme remains focused on the most rural parts of the country.
The exact site deployment plans for new masts under the SRN will be managed by the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) themselves in order for them to best deliver the agreed coverage targets for the programme.
The MNOs continue to work closely with local communities and planning authorities to ensure new masts go through the proper planning process and are considerate to areas of natural beauty. Planning authorities are responsible for approving applications which form part of the SRN programme and publicly funded masts will be shared by all four MNOs to minimise the impact on the environment.