Dave Robertson leads group of rural MPs demanding action to fix 5G rollout and rural mobile coverage

Dave Robertson has led a group of more than twenty rural MPs in writing to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee and to the Minister for the Digital Economy, warning that Britain’s telecoms system is failing rural communities and holding back the UK’s 5G rollout.

In many rural communities, coverage comes from only a single mobile network operator, leaving residents with patchy signal, fewer choices, and higher costs to secure reliable connectivity. Not a single premises in many constituencies has access to high‑quality 5G from all four major operators.

In the two letters, coordinated by Mr Robertson, MPs highlight that the UK now has the slowest 5G rollout in the G7, despite Government research showing that widespread access to high‑quality 5G could add £159 billion to the economy by 2035.

The mobile market review must address this fundamental issue and the MPs urge the Minister of Digital Economy to ensure that it is within the review's scope. A clear quality standard that define in detail the minimum 4G and 5G service levels that all parts of the UK should receive must be set.

You can find the copies of the two letters below: