Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Viscount Camrose on 5 April (HL6987, HL6988, HL6989 and HL6990), what connectivity solutions they are proposing under the Digital Voice programme to premises with (1) little or no electricity, or (2) no mobile phone signal, in the event of (a) a power cut, or (b) where a resident does not have or want a mobile phone.

Communication Providers, including BT, have a range of solutions available for Digital Voice customers, particularly those who require extra support. For most customers with additional needs who live in an area with 4G mobile coverage, mobile remains the best way of making calls in the event of a power loss. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is working with industry to extend mobile coverage through projects such as the Shared Rural Network, and also to improve resilience of the mobile network.

Customers who do not have, or do not want, a mobile phone can request a hybrid phone with a built-in battery that switches automatically to the mobile network in the event of a power outage. This device looks and feels like a normal landline handset. For Digital Voice customers who live in an area without mobile signal and are identified as vulnerable, BT will provide a battery back-up unit free of charge. For customers without a fixed broadband connection, BT are also looking at developing a device which functions in the same way as the landline but uses the mobile network instead.

Ofcom estimates that less than 1% of BT landline customers have insufficient 4G mobile coverage in their area to make an emergency call. This number will drop as BT provides further investment to continue expanding its network – since March 2020 EE, part of BT Group, has improved 4G coverage in over 1,500 locations across the UK and expects to improve coverage in hundreds of further locations by June 2024.

We encourage customers who have questions about their power supply to contact their energy provider as Communications Providers do not provide a solution for customers without access to mains power.