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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on the merits of passive infrastructure sharing in partial not-spots; and what information he has on the changes that would be required to the upgrade and sharing elements of the electronic communications code to enable this.

The Government is committed to improving mobile coverage for all consumers, and is currently in discussions with Ofcom and relevant Mobile Network Operators. We have been looking at a number of options for improving coverage in partial not-spot areas, including passive infrastructure sharing and national roaming. We are also considering the impact of reforms to the Electronic Communications Code, in the broader context of supporting communications infrastructure in an effort to improve mobile network coverage. The Government is aware that reforms will need to balance the interests of all stakeholders involved.

The Secretary of State is considering his position on Code reform and will outline plans shortly. The Government is committed to ensuring the UK has world-class mobile coverage.