Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what funding his Department has allocated to help reach (a) full gigabit, (b) full superfast and (c) national 5G coverage by 2030.

Over £1.6 billion of contracts have already been announced as part of Project Gigabit, to extend the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband beyond commercially viable areas across the UK. A further £1 billion of funding is proposed in live and upcoming procurements.

Superfast broadband is already available in 98% of homes and business premises.

Non-standalone 5G is available outside 92% of UK premises and two of the four Mobile Network Operators have begun to deploy standalone 5G. The previous government set an ambition for nationwide standalone 5G coverage in populated areas by 2030, but attached no government subsidy to this.