Asked by: Lola McEvoy (Labour - Darlington)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department is making on the rollout of 5G in Darlington.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In their Connected Nations Spring update, published 8 May 2025, Ofcom reports that 5G (combined standalone and non-standalone 5G) is available outside almost 100% of premises in the Darlington constituency from at least one mobile operator, but this falls to 11% from all four operators.
Our ambition is for all populated areas, including Darlington, to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Where mobile network operators rollout 5G is a commercial decision but I am working closely with the mobile operators to drive up improvements in mobile infrastructure and we are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework in place to support investment into mobile networks and competition in the market.