Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what comparative assessment has she made of the adequacy of mobile mast density in the UK with other European countries.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
No assessment has been made of the comparative adequacy of mobile mast density in the UK against other European countries. It would be difficult to compare these across markets in a meaningful way as the mast density will be dependent on factors including market structure, topology, reusability and sharing of infrastructure, as well as spectrum availability.
Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030; this is commercially led and it is for network operators to define infrastructure deployment plans to deliver this ambition. Network operators have committed significant investment that align with Government’s ambition and already made significant progress with Ofcom reporting that as of January 2026, standalone 5G is available outside of 93% of premises across the UK from at least one operator.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her department has had discussions with mobile infrastructure companies on regulatory reform of the mobile coverage market.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government is undertaking a Mobile Market Review to assess major developments in the sector and how these impact investment in high-quality connectivity. A Call for Evidence supporting the review closed on 5 May and sought detailed input from stakeholders on whether the regulatory framework is equipped to support future investment, innovation and competition in mobile networks. We have engaged with stakeholders, including the mobile industry, throughout the review process and are assessing the responses received. We will provide an update on our findings and next steps later this year.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment has she made of the case for Government intervention in mobile mast location decisions.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Decisions on the location of mobile masts are a matter for local planning authorities, who determine planning applications and, where relevant, prior approval applications on matters such as siting and appearance. This provides an opportunity for representations to be made to the local planning authority and that they are able to take local considerations into account alongside the need for mobile infrastructure.
The Government acknowledges industry views that current planning rules can slow the deployment of digital infrastructure. In response, we launched a joint call for evidence with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on proposals to explore whether reforming planning rules for digital infrastructure could support deployment. The government is now considering the responses and will set out next steps in due course.
Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030; this is commercially led and it is for network operators to define infrastructure deployment plans that align with this.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment has she made of the potential merits of creating a public record of mobile mast locations.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 of June 2026 to Question 9431.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 improve mobile coverage in rural and coastal areas.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to high quality standalone 5G by 2030. This includes rural and coastal communities across the UK. The rollout is commercially led by the network operators with all three operators having committed to significant investment plans which align with this Government’s ambition.
Government is undertaking a Mobile Market Review with the aim of better understanding how Government can go further in supporting the sector to invest in widespread, high-quality connectivity, as well as continuing efforts to identify and remove barriers to telecoms deployment.
4G connectivity remains important for many and with the help of Government’s Shared Rural Network programme, 4G coverage is now available to over 96% of UK landmass. The programme continues to support the delivery of 4G connectivity improvements to some of the hardest to reach areas of the UK, including South Devon, where a Government-funded SRN mast has been upgraded and activated to provide additional 4G coverage in the Newton Abbot area.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment has she made of whether national mobile coverage statistics reflect signal quality in Devon.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Ofcom is responsible for reporting on mobile network coverage across the UK, through their Connected Nations reports and the coverage maps available in the ‘Map Your Mobile’ tool. Through the Connected Nation's reports, data is provided on a constituency and local authority level, and through the Map Your Mobile tool, individuals across Devon can determine which operator provides the best level of coverage in their area.
Government recognises that there remain discrepancies in some cases between individual experience and the level of coverage that Ofcom reports should be available.
‘Map Your Mobile’, launched in June 2025, includes crowdsourced data on network performance, opposed to coverage alone to help be more reflective of individual experience. Whilst this was a positive step, we continue to work closely with Ofcom on this issue.
The Government has also restated the importance of continuing to improve the reporting of mobile coverage in the Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum and postal services, designated on 27 April 2026. This includes building on the Map Your Mobile tool, exploring further use of measured and crowdsourced data, and keeping under review definitions of “good” 4G and 5G to ensure they reflect evolving consumer and business expectations.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when the Government will respond to the recent review into the mobile market.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government is undertaking a Mobile Market Review to assess the technological, structural and financial factors impacting investment in networks and what further action the Government can take to support the sector to invest in high-quality connectivity across the UK into the long term. Our Call for Evidence closed on 5 May 2026. We are now carefully assessing the detailed responses received and will provide an update on our findings and next steps later this year.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment has she made of the potential merits of introducing a legal definition of adequate mobile signal.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
As part of the Government’s Mobile Market Review call for evidence, we asked how Government should think about, and define, ‘good’ mobile coverage in relation to quality of service provided to consumers, businesses and the public sector. We also asked what steps Government could take to ensure operators are able to provide this.
The call for evidence closed on 5 May; we are now reviewing responses and determining appropriate policy options with a view to setting out next steps later this year.
Whilst not a legal definition, Ofcom recently proposed a good performance standard for consumers for discussion in their ‘Connectivity you can count on’ discussion paper, published 3rd June 2026; this can be found at the following link
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when the Project Gigabit voucher scheme will reopen to communities in South Devon constituency.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Building Digital UK (BDUK) engaged suppliers at the end of 2025 on the potential for further Project Gigabit delivery, and several voucher suppliers expressed interest in delivering more voucher projects in South Devon. BDUK will make premises available to be covered by voucher projects where there is a prospect of viable projects being proposed by suppliers.
The scheme is due to end in March 2028 and therefore projects will need to be approved by August this year. The Government would encourage suppliers to engage directly with BDUK, if they believe there is an opportunity to develop a new project targeted at a specific area.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 improve communication with rural communities about Project Gigabit rollout timelines.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Suppliers are responsible for creating a network design plan and delivery schedule for their Project Gigabit contracts. Therefore, updates on delivery timescales for specific areas are often provided by suppliers through their own websites and fibre checker tools. Building Digital UK (BDUK) also works with suppliers and local councils to support communications about Project Gigabit contracts throughout their delivery.
Additionally, communities can check if their premises is included in BDUK plans using the following link: September 2025 OMR and premises in BDUK plans (England and Wales) - GOV.UK. Delivery progress can also be found via BDUK’s monthly data reporting, which shows the number of premises passed under each Project Gigabit contract. The latest edition of this data is available here: Premises contracted and built, Project Gigabit contracts - GOV.UK.