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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department has made available to support the rollout of 5g and 6g broadband in Blackpool.

We have seen good early progress in 5G network deployment, and are pleased that two Mobile Network Operators now offer 5G to more than 50% of the UK population. This delivers on our ambition for the majority of the population to have access to 5G by 2027 five years early. Our Wireless Infrastructure Strategy will set out how we can realise the full benefits of 5G for the UK. We aim to publish later this year.

We have made reforms to the planning system in England to support the deployment of 5G and help extend mobile coverage. Alongside this, the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, currently before Parliament, amends the Electronic Communications Code to encourage faster and more collaborative negotiations for the installation and maintenance of telecoms equipment.

The next generation of mobile technology, referred to as “6G”, is still some years away and is currently in the early stages of development. We want to ensure that the UK continues to be at the forefront of future communications systems and technology. We will set out more details on our policy for 6G in the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy.