Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of setting minimum quality standards for mobile phone connections.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There are widely recognised international technical standards for mobile telecommunications services in place, developed through the International Telecommunications Union and Third Generation Partnership Project. These standards set out technical performance requirements and metrics.
Ofcom recently updated its definition of ‘good’ mobile coverage as part of the update to their mobile coverage checker tool, ‘Map Your Mobile’. This reflects the level of service required to carry out the tasks people expect to use their mobile device for today.
User’s expectations of what they expect to be able to do on their mobile device evolve over time. In the recent proposed Ofcom Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services, therefore, government asked Ofcom to keep under review its definitions of “good” 4G and 5G.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information his Department holds on whether customers who are required to transition from Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) landline phones to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) landline phones are being offered equivalent phone-only deals.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government engages regularly with communications providers to ensure that the industry-led switch-off of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) proceeds safely and with minimum inconvenience for end users. For many users, the upgrade will only involve unplugging their existing landline phone from the wall and plugging it into the back of their broadband router.
As part of the migration to VoIP, current landline-only consumers do not need to purchase a general broadband connection if they do not want one. Most users can retain the same telephone devices after the migration, but in scenarios where this is not possible, they will receive a replacement device for free. Existing contracts will not increase in price when customers are migrated to VoIP.
The Department does not hold data on the number of landline-only VoIP products but is working with stakeholders to identify those that require additional support during their PSTN migration, including consumers who are dependent on their landline.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure those switching from public switched telephone network landline phones to Voice over Internet Protocol landline phones are not sold unnecessary services.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government engages regularly with communications providers to ensure that the industry-led switch-off of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) proceeds safely and with minimum inconvenience for end users. For many users, the upgrade will only involve unplugging their existing landline phone from the wall and plugging it into the back of their broadband router.
As part of the migration to VoIP, current landline-only consumers do not need to purchase a general broadband connection if they do not want one. Most users can retain the same telephone devices after the migration, but in scenarios where this is not possible, they will receive a replacement device for free. Existing contracts will not increase in price when customers are migrated to VoIP.
The Department does not hold data on the number of landline-only VoIP products but is working with stakeholders to identify those that require additional support during their PSTN migration, including consumers who are dependent on their landline.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department holds data on phone-only Voice over Internet Protocol products available for consumers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government engages regularly with communications providers to ensure that the industry-led switch-off of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) proceeds safely and with minimum inconvenience for end users. For many users, the upgrade will only involve unplugging their existing landline phone from the wall and plugging it into the back of their broadband router.
As part of the migration to VoIP, current landline-only consumers do not need to purchase a general broadband connection if they do not want one. Most users can retain the same telephone devices after the migration, but in scenarios where this is not possible, they will receive a replacement device for free. Existing contracts will not increase in price when customers are migrated to VoIP.
The Department does not hold data on the number of landline-only VoIP products but is working with stakeholders to identify those that require additional support during their PSTN migration, including consumers who are dependent on their landline.