Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of the new telecom masts being built through the Shared Rural Network programme are planned to be used by more than one mobile network operator.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Masts built as part of the government funded part of the Shared Rural Network, which will deliver new 4G coverage in total not spot areas where there is currently none, will be available to be shared by all four Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). Initial plans developed in 2021 suggested that approximately 300 new masts would be needed. However, we now expect to need fewer masts than originally planned and work is ongoing to establish the exact number.
The programme will also look to utilise existing infrastructure where possible and this includes upgrading some of the 292 Home Office Extended Area Service masts across England, Scotland and Wales making them shareable between all four MNOs for the programme.
We are unable to provide the precise number of new or upgraded masts that may be delivered as part of the privately funded element of the Shared Rural Network, which will tackle partial not spot areas of the UK which have coverage from at least one but not all four MNOs.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has considered the potential merits of increasing mobile network sharing in rural 4G partial Not-Spots to help increase emergency call coverage.
Answered by John Whittingdale
People living in rural 4G partial not-spots are already able to make emergency calls, as the Code of Practice for the Public Emergency Call Service requires that any call from a mobile phone is able to roam onto another mobile network free-of-charge to make an emergency call if they have no signal from their own provider.
In addition, through our £1 billion Shared Rural Network deal with the four mobile network operators, we will also be delivering new masts in total not-spot areas which will deliver 4G coverage for the first time. This will improve the safety of those living, working and visiting the area by enabling calls to 999 to be made through the mobile network for the first time as well as through the fixed telephone network.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of competition in the fibre broadband sector in Scotland.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government’s Statement of Strategic Priorities for Ofcom, published in 2019, states that we want to see regulation that incentivises network investment and ensures fair and effective competition between new and existing network operators. Government and Ofcom have progressed multiple interventions to improve competition in the UK broadband sector, for example by providing competitors with effective access to Openreach’s ducts and poles. These interventions also benefit Scotland, since telecoms is a reserved matter.
Based on our pro-competition policies we now have a thriving market in the UK of over 100 providers investing nearly £40bn rolling out gigabit broadband all over the country. The UK gigabit capable network now stands at c.78.0%, up from one in ten in November 2019, and the coverage in Scotland stands at c.71.5%, up from less than one in ten in November 2019*.
*Thinkbroadband data