Rural Mobile Connectivity

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

I congratulate the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan) on securing this important debate. My speech about mobile connectivity in my constituency in the Scottish Borders will echo many of the remarks that the hon. Member for Stafford (Leigh Ingham) has just made—I suspect we will get a lot of consistency across the House.

In an age when digital access is a necessity, too many rural communities remain cut off, not only by geography, but by inadequate infrastructure and poor decisions by mobile phone providers. We often speak in this place of levelling up and ensuring that no part of our country is left behind. Yet for many of my constituents in the Scottish Borders, making a reliable phone call, sending a text or accessing mobile data is still a daily challenge. In some area residents must stand in a particular spot or drive up a hill just to get a signal. That is simply not acceptable in 2026.

Connectivity is about far more than convenience; it is about safety, economic resilience and tackling rural isolation. Farmers operating machinery, elderly residents living alone, small businesses processing payments and families keeping in touch all depend on reliable phone networks. When that signal fails, the consequences can be serious. Rural communities already face longer journeys to hospitals and benefit from fewer local services. Unreliable mobile coverage only deepens the divide between rural and urban Britain.

A point that has not yet been touched on is smart meter connectivity, which is a particular concern in my community. Households have been encouraged to adopt smart meters to improve efficiency and accuracy, yet in many rural areas, poor mobile coverage means that those meters cannot function properly. Constituents are left with devices that cannot transmit readings automatically, undermining confidence in both the technology and the wider energy transition. If rural households are asked to modernise, the supporting infrastructure must be fit for purpose.

I am also deeply concerned by the decision taken by many mobile phone providers to switch off their 2G and 3G network signals. While modernisation is undoubtedly necessary, those networks remain the only reliable options in many rural areas. Turning them off before robust 4G or 5G alternatives are fully in place risks leaving residents with worse service than before. That decision affects not only phones, but telecare devices, alarm systems, payment terminals and agricultural equipment. Vulnerable individuals who rely on telecare linked to legacy networks could face serious risks if signals are withdrawn prematurely.

I know from my own experience driving around my Scottish Borders constituency, and from speaking with my constituency neighbour, my right hon. Friend the Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell), that we are finding it increasingly difficult to do our work as MPs. In the past, we have had relatively good mobile phone signal, but because network providers have decided to drop the service, we have lost the ability to use our phones. When we raise that with the phone providers, they say that it is all fine. The hon. Member for North Shropshire made this point in relation to the Ofcom data. I believe that for Ofcom, EDGE signal, or E, is sufficient, but to make a phone call, access emails or use any other basic phone functions, the E signal is simply not sufficient.

Similarly, I do my weekly commute along the east coast main line from Berwick-upon-Tweed station to Kings Cross. In the past, I had a very good signal for the duration of the journey. Now, I get usable signal—not the signal that appears to satisfy Ofcom—only when I am in the centre of Newcastle station, the centre of York station or approaching London. Unless I can get LNER wi-fi, I cannot effectively use my phone anywhere else in between.

Telecoms companies have commercial interests, but they also have responsibilities. I urge the Government to engage closely with providers to ensure that no community is left without reliable service as networks evolve. The shared rural network is welcome, but delivery must be accelerated in the Scottish Borders, across Scotland and in all parts of rural Britain. Rural Britain does not seek special treatment—only fair treatment. Reliable connectivity is essential to economic growth, public services and community life. If we are to build a truly connected United Kingdom, rural connectivity must be a priority, not an afterthought.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Kanishka Narayan)]

First and foremost, can I start by thanking the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan) for securing this debate on mobile connectivity in rural areas? I thank all hon. Members for their insightful contributions.

While I am here speaking in place of my noble Friend in the other place, the Minister for Digital Economy, I feel the pain described by many hon. Members personally, as I too represent a rural constituency. In that context, I particularly thank my hon. Friends the Members for Stafford (Leigh Ingham) and for Truro and Falmouth (Jayne Kirkham) and the hon. Members for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont) and for Caerfyrddin (Ann Davies) for their representations on behalf of farmers and agricultural communities, whom I know face a particular challenge.

I also thank the hon. Members for Bromsgrove (Bradley Thomas), for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth) and for Lewes (James MacCleary) for talking about not only maintaining bucolic beauty but parity and economic opportunity. I thank the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, the hon. Member for Frome and East Somerset (Anna Sabine), who raised a very concerning case about coercive control through the use of connectivity. I encourage her to write to the Department about that, as I would be keen to follow up on that particular issue. The constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth (Perran Moon) has features of rurality and remoteness, and has coastal communities, and from my constituency I personally understand those features too.

The all-party parliamentary group on digital communities, which the hon. Member for North Shropshire is a member of, along with the other Members, published in January a detailed report on this topic. It provided valuable insights and recommendations.

It is well understood across the House that access to high-quality, reliable and secure digital connectivity is essential to day-to-day life, with many services now requiring an online presence. It is important not only for consumers, but for the businesses in every sector of the UK economy that depend increasingly on fixed and mobile networks in some way. From taking card payments to managing businesses online, digital connectivity is central.

The focus of this debate is on mobile connectivity. The Government have an ambition for all populated areas, including rural communities, to have access to higher quality stand-alone 5G by 2030. Although stand-alone 5G is already available outside 83% of premises across the UK, I acknowledge that we need to go much further.

Operators are starting to align investment and delivery plans with the ambition that the Government have set out. VodafoneThree has committed to investing £11 billion in its 5G network over the 10-year period following completion of its merger; progress against that commitment will be monitored at regular intervals by Ofcom. BT and Virgin Media O2 have set out similarly significant investment plans into their networks, both aligning with the Government’s stand-alone 5G coverage ambition.

[John Lamont]

Does the Minister acknowledge that there are issues with the data that has been provided both by the telecoms companies and by Ofcom? We have all shared experiences across the Chamber today in which maps produced by Vodafone, EE or whoever appear to demonstrate good coverage in our constituencies, but the coverage on the ground is just not there. Is the Minister challenging the providers on their data?

[Kanishka Narayan]

I thank the hon. Member for raising that point. I will come to that question, because I recognise the gap between the aggregate picture and the experience felt on the ground.

Let me return to aggregate investment. To ensure that investment delivers coverage improvements for communities right across the UK, including in rural areas, we continue working to identify and address barriers to deployment where it is practical to do so. I may not share the significant expertise and experience of my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) with matters of spectrum, but I certainly share her enthusiasm. When I was an undergraduate student, the global example of the last Labour Government on auction design and the 3G spectrum was very much a part of my curriculum. In that spirit, I hope to take her advice and continue the spirit of Labour, not that of the last Conservative Government or of the Liberal Democrats, who were complicit in the auction challenges of that Government.

The focus on investment includes implementing the remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022. I can confirm to my hon. Friend that the Government are considering where planning rules could be relaxed to support the deployment of mobile infrastructure.

The shadow Minister mentioned the call for evidence, which is due to close on 26 February. In the usual spirit, I can confirm to him that we will make a prompt statement to the House, but I am afraid I cannot give him a specific date on this occasion.

On the reporting of mobile coverage, Members across the House are totally right to highlight the issues with its accuracy in some cases. I feel very personally the depth of their frustration; although I cannot condone the semi-kidnapping experience described by the hon. Member for East Grinstead and Uckfield (Mims Davies), she has my particular sympathies for her pre-Valentine’s break-up with Vodafone. Accurate coverage data is essential for consumers: it allows more informed decisions as to which operator provides the best level of service for life, work and travel.