Written questions, answers and statements

4G: Hebrides

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Question for Department for Culture, Media and Sport

UIN 224017, tabled on 10 February 2015

Question

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil
Scottish National Party
Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2015 to Question 220134, whether the 90 per cent 4G geographical coverage will cover the Outer Hebrides.

Answer

Mr Edward Vaizey
Conservative
Wantage
Commons

Answered on

23 February 2015

The agreement announced on 18 December 2014 will improve coverage throughout the UK, and we expect the Scottish Islands will see one of the greatest improvements of any area. Under the agreement each mobile network operator (MNO) will provide voice and text coverage to at least 90% of the UK landmass by 2017, and we understand that data coverage will improve in many areas. This will lock in £5bn of investment in UK mobile infrastructure, halving partial not-spots and cutting complete not-spots by two-thirds. The MNOs have now made the agreed coverage obligations legally binding, by requesting that Ofcom vary their spectrum licences on a voluntary basis.

Answered by

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
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