Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate she has made of the (a) quality and (b) area coverage area for (i) 5G and (ii) other wireless data reception in Bolsover constituency; and what steps she is taking to help improve 5G coverage in that area.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom is responsible for assessing and reporting on mobile network coverage across the UK. As part of the work to improve the accuracy of mobile coverage data, Ofcom updated their definition of ‘good’ mobile coverage in June 2025 to align with user’s expectations of their mobile service today.
According to their Connected Nations Annual Report, published on 19 November 2025, when applying Ofcom’s updated definition of ‘good’ coverage, which represents combined 4G and 5G coverage, 98.7% of the constituency area of Bolsover has access to this level of connectivity from at least one network operator, with 70.6% of the constituency landmass having ‘good’ coverage from all four.
Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030, and government is working closely with mobile network operators to ensure that the investment that they have committed translates into benefits for communities right across the UK, including in Bolsover. This includes the identification and removal of barriers to deployment where required.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure full mobile phone signal in Bolsover constituency.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom is responsible for assessing and reporting on mobile network coverage across the UK. As part of the work to improve the accuracy of mobile coverage data, Ofcom updated their definition of ‘good’ mobile coverage in June 2025 to align with user’s expectations of their mobile service today.
According to their Connected Nations Annual Report, published on 19 November 2025, when applying Ofcom’s updated definition of ‘good’ coverage, which represents combined 4G and 5G coverage, 98.7% of the constituency area of Bolsover has access to this level of connectivity from at least one network operator, with 70.6% of the constituency landmass having ‘good’ coverage from all four.
Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030, and government is working closely with mobile network operators to ensure that the investment that they have committed translates into benefits for communities right across the UK, including in Bolsover. This includes the identification and removal of barriers to deployment where required.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what comparative estimate she has made of the average download broadband speed in (a) Bolsover constituency, (b) other Derbyshire constituencies and (c) the East Midlands; and what steps she is taking to help improve download speed in that constituency.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
According to independent website Thinkbroadband, approximately 94% of premises in the Bolsover constituency have access to gigabit-capable broadband, this is higher than the UK average of 89%. They report that the average download speeds in the constituencies of Bolsover, North Derby, South Derby and Derbyshire Dales all exceed 200 Mbps, and exceeds 100 Mbps in the East Midlands region.
To extend coverage, approximately 1,900 premises in the Bolsover constituency are currently in scope of the Project Gigabit contract for Derbyshire, being delivered by Connect Fibre.