Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what investigations his Department has carried out on the condition of copper telecommunications cabling in rural areas.

The Department has not investigated the condition of copper telecommunications cabling in rural areas. However, we are aware that the overall condition of the copper networks is aging and deteriorating: the number of major incidents on the copper-based PSTN has been rising, with a 45% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year. Between April 2024 and March 2025, there were over 2,600 major incidents on the PSTN, each affecting 500 or more customers. The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK.