Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps her Department has taken to help improve broadband coverage in Gower constituency.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Almost 98% of premises in the Gower constituency can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps), in line with the national average of 97%. Over 69% of premises have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, which is below the national average of 80%, but has increased significantly since January 2021, when coverage was under 25%.
To improve coverage further, the Government is rolling out Project Gigabit, and we have launched procurements across the UK inviting suppliers to bid for contracts to bring gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses that are unlikely to be reached by broadband suppliers' commercial rollout plans alone. The Gower constituency is included in a cross regional procurement which launched last year, and we expect to award a contract this summer.