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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of masts that will be required to roll out 5G throughout the UK.

The Government is committed to establishing the UK as a global leader in 5G technology and ensuring that the majority of the population has access to a 5G signal by 2027. We have made good progress toward these aims, with 5G networks available in over 70 UK towns and cities and the investment of £200m in a 5G testbeds and trials programme.

5G deployment is still in its infancy and decisions on rollout and deployment remain a matter for the network operators themselves, based on need and demand for 5G services. It should be noted that in many cases 5G deployment will be delivered utilising masts that are currently used for the delivery of 4G services.

As roll out continues Government will continue to work with industry and stakeholders to support the timely and efficient rollout of 5G across the UK.