Rural areas ‘at risk of being sidelined’ in 5G roll-out
RURAL communities risk being left in mobile “not-spots” as part of the Government’s 5G roll-out, MPS have warned.
A report on plans to upgrade the UK’S internet infrastructure said targets to roll out 5G by population would allow firms to “cherry pick” more densely populated areas to get coverage first.
MPS on the culture select committee, led by chairman Julian Knight, said this risked replicating the current poor signal coverage in some remote communities into the next generation.
The report, which follows an almost year-long inquiry, also called on ministers to explain how they intended to reach their recently scaled-back target of covering 85 per cent of the UK with ultra fast, gigabit-capable broadband by 2025. The Government is aiming for more than half of the UK population – 35 million people – to have access to 5G by 2027.
5G is the next generation of mobile signal and, as well as giving phones and devices super fast download speeds, will also enable smart devices in homes and autonomous cars to all be simultaneously connected to the internet.
However, geographically, almost 10 per cent of the UK still has no 4G cover
‘The Government’s 5G plans risk repeating the same errors that led to mobile not-spots in remote areas’
age. MPS said the population target would mean densely populated areas would be “prioritised” by mobile providers “repeating the pattern” of rural areas being left behind.
As a result, they called for the target to be measured by the geographic 5G coverage that providers achieve. Mr Knight said: “On 5G, the Government’s target to deliver to the majority of the population, rather than the majority of the country, risks repeating the same errors that led to mobile ‘not-spots’, with investors cherry-picking areas of high population and leaving people in remote rural areas without a hope.”
Mr Knight also criticised the Government for quietly rolling back the 2025 target for gigabit-capable broadband coverage from 100 per cent of UK coverage to 85 per cent. He said “valuable time had been lost” due to ministers not admitting earlier that full coverage was “unachievable” in that time frame.
Meanwhile, the Government will today also announce it is taking the next step in its broadband plans by unveiling the draft conditions under which companies can apply for grants from a £5 billion pot to fund broadband upgrades in the remotest areas.
Matt Warman, minister for digital infrastructure, will say: “Today we’ve set out our bold programme of national infrastructure projects to future-proof the UK’S internet networks. We will begin these procurements rapidly so broadband providers big and small can move quickly to get the job done and level up communities with this much faster, next-generation broadband.”
As has been apparent in recent months, the ability to communicate easily on the internet is critical for millions of people. This country has one of the lowest rates of penetration for full-fibre broadband in the developed world but the Government is hoping that the roll-out of 5G mobile networks can plug the gap. However, as a report from MPS observes, this may benefit towns and cities but will disadvantage rural areas.
A report from the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee says plans to target 5G signals at population density rather than geographical landmass could create rural blackspots. Moreover, it believes the targets set by the Government for ultra-fast capabilities by 2025 are unachievable and evidence from the industry suggested no one thought them feasible. Ministers have already modified the promise of gigabit-capable broadband from 100 per cent to 85 per cent coverage by 2025 but MPS doubt this is attainable either. Nor did they have any confidence in another target – that of majority 5G coverage by 2027. There is a pattern of over-promising and under-delivering in many areas of government policy-making: here is another.
Given the importance of this form of connectivity, the infrastructure should be a top priority for the Government. Matters have been complicated by the decision to exclude the Chinese company Huawei from its delivery but in the Government’s levelling-up agenda, rural areas cannot be left out. While the phenomenal speed of 5G wireless will improve mobile broadband, it cannot fill the gap in the countryside. In these areas, full-fibre connections will still be needed if rural residents are not to lose out again.