Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department is taking steps with (a) Ofcom, (b) mobile network operators and (c) local authorities to explore community-level infrastructure solutions to improve mobile coverage in rural villages in (i) Wiltshire and (ii) Gloucestershire.

Government encourages digital teams and planners within local authorities to work with Mobile Networlk Operators (MNOs) to improve rural coverage. We are also aware that many local authorities have carried out mobile coverage measurement surveys of their own to help inform them of mobile connectivity gaps.

Ensuring there is high quality mobile coverage right across the UK remains a priority for the Government, including in rural communities. However, it is for the market to determine how to deploy infrastructure to effectively achieve this ambition.