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 help improve (a) 4G and (b) 5G coverage in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

This Government is taking steps to improve both 4G and 5G coverage across the country.

Across the East Midlands, our £1bn agreement with the industry to deliver the Shared Rural Network (SRN) will see 4G coverage from all four Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) rise to 94%, up from 90% when the programme began in 2020.

In addition to the SRN programme, the MNOs independently invest around £2 billion annually across the UK in enhancing and improving their networks.

According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations report, basic, non-standalone, 5G is available outside 93% of premises in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency from at least one MNO. The Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, published in April 2023, set out the Government’s vision for wireless connectivity and announced a new ambition for nationwide coverage of higher quality standalone 5G in all populated areas by 2030. The strategy includes a series of measures to help the private sector invest in 5G networks by supporting competition, driving down deployment costs and driving the take-up of innovative, 5G-enabled tech by the business and the public sector.

The Department provides extensive guidance for local authorities and operators to help facilitate broadband and mobile deployment through the Digital Connectivity Portal. We have also taken steps to make it easier and cheaper for operators to deploy 4G and 5G. This includes reforming the planning system in England. Alongside this, measures within the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, will support the deployment of wireless infrastructure, including 4G and 5G.