Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the potential merits of the adoption of standalone 5G for the emergency services.

DSIT and the Home Office work closely on the technical requirements for commercial mobile coverage. ESN will operate over a commercial mobile network based on technology designed to evolve and improve alongside consumer technologies.

Currently 4G offers best coverage and device availability and sufficient bandwidth for critical communications needs. ESN will use 5G standalone after its initial launch. Market trends suggest 4G and 5G will coexist for many years.