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Written question asked by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Friday, 10 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 July 2026. It was answered by Kanishka Narayan (Labour) on Friday, 17 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.


Mobile Broadband: West Midlands

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of mobile signal coverage gaps in the West Midlands.

Answer

Ofcom is responsible for reporting on mobile network coverage across the UK through their Connected Nations Reports and Map Your Mobile tool. Utilising the Connected Nations data, trends in how coverage has evolved over time can be determined.

As of January 2026, by aggregating the coverage in the 30 local and unitary authorities in the West Midlands region, 93.6% of the West Midlands has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators (as defined by Ofcom), while standalone 5G is available outside of 93.2% of premises from at least one operator. This is means 4G coverage increased from 92.9% in July 2025, and standalone 5G coverage rose quite substantially from 80.5% over the same period.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
17715
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Standards West Midlands Mobile broadband
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk