Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of potential effect of the switch off of the Vodafone 3G network in 2023 on rural communities; and what steps the Government plans to take to rural communities as 3G networks are phased out.

We are committed to extending good quality mobile coverage across the UK. In March 2020, the government announced a deal with the mobile network operators, including Vodafone, to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass. The Government’s ambition is for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027 and we want to ensure that UK businesses reap the full benefits of 5G.

There is no explicit regulatory requirement for mobile network operators to maintain a 2G or 3G network and the government has limited powers to compel operators to maintain, switch off or streamline specific networks. It is for operators to take final decisions on the provision of network services.

The Government welcomes 3G networks being switched off in a responsible way, and will continue to work with mobile network operators to ensure a smooth transition that meets the needs of business users and consumers, including rural communities.