Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what measures are being taken to ensure that the withdrawal of 3G services does not leave gaps in mobile coverage, and how the Government is accelerating the availability of 5G to address these gaps.

All 3G networks in the UK have now been switched off. EE and Vodafone switched off 3G in February 2024, Three in November 2025, and VMO2 in February 2026. Ofcom’s expectation of the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) was that they would provide broadly equivalent levels of coverage after switching off 3G. As reported in its 2025 Connected Nations report, Ofcom has received very few complaints from customers about the 3G switch-off. The mobile industry has not reported to Ofcom any significant disruption.

The 3G switch-off released spectrum to be reallocated to improve the newer and more efficient 4G and 5G networks.

The MNOs have committed significant investment which aligns with the Government's ambition of all populated areas being able to access higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. We continue to work with network operators to ensure this investment translates into benefits for communities right across the UK. In parallel, we are continuing work to identify and address barriers to deployment where it is practical to do so.