Written question asked by Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 9 September 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 11 September 2025. It was answered by Ian Murray (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 September 2025 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Shared Rural Network

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the delay in full Shared Rural Network rollout until 2027 on rural businesses; and what steps she is taking to mitigate this.

Answer: Ofcom is responsible for assessing the 4G coverage improvements delivered by the Shared Rural Network. Its latest published figures show that 4G now reaches over 95% of UK landmass. This means that the Shared Rural Network met its overarching target a year ahead of schedule. The delivery of the programme was always due to continue until January 2027, at which point Ofcom will assess further coverage improvements from the publicly-funded parts of the programme.

Secondary information