Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will undertake an impact assessment of macro not-spot roaming in order to improve mobile coverage.

Improving mobile connectivity across the UK is a priority for the Government. Roaming was considered in 2014 and rejected as it risked discouraging investment and increasing complete not spots. The Government instead favoured legally binding licence obligations on each MNO to provide voice/SMS text coverage to at least 90% of the UK’s landmass by end-2017. The licence obligations arising from the December 2014 agreement have locked in investment of £5 billion and are delivering improved coverage across the UK. Ofcom's 2016 Connected Nations Report shows that 99% of UK premises now have indoor voice coverage and 96% have indoor 4G data coverage. Our recent reforms to mobile planning laws and proposed reforms of the Electronic Communications Code, will support further investment and improvements in connectivity across the UK and reduce not spots.