Written questions by Wrigley.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to question 5167 on Patents: Disclosure of Information, what recent discussions the minister has had with major companies on the effectiveness of the IPO online search tool.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, what is her Department's planned timetable for publishing the findings of the Mobile Market Review.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the merger of Vodafone and Three on the rollout of 5G services in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency.

The Government’s ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. As a result of the merger, VodafoneThree has committed to investing £11 billion in its joint network. They state this will lead to 99% UK populati...

Innovation and Technology, what support her Department is offering to Local Authorities to support the connectivity of 5G in their areas.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has published, via the Digital Connectivity Portal, extensive guidance for local authorities and operators to help facilitate broadband and mobile connectivity deployment. This includes technical infor...

Innovation and Technology, what performance thresholds will apply when assessing whether the Government's 2030 target for standalone 5G in all populated areas has been met.

The Government’s ambition for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030 is being led by commercial investment from the mobile network operators. All three network operators have committed significant investment plans which...

Innovation and Technology, what performance standards for mobile connectivity apply to Industrial Strategy Zones and AI Growth Zones.

The Government’s ambition is for all populated areas to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. The roll out of standalone 5G is being led by commercial investment from the mobile network operators. All three network operators have committed significan...

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of whether Ofcom's proposed benchmark for mobile network performance is sufficient to move the UK into the top third of OECD countries for mobile quality on

Ofcom is an independent regulator, and its proposed performance benchmark is part of an ongoing discussion on defining a measure of good mobile performance based on a set of performance thresholds that indicate a good overall user experience. This discuss...

Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to introduce greater transparency in the patent market.

The existing patent system includes several transparency features. For example, although patents are private rights, their publication is part of the patent bargain, allowing innovators a time-limited patent monopoly in exchange for disclosing their inven...

Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a regulator in the patent market.

The aim of the patent system is to incentivise innovation through the grant of a temporary exclusive right to protect inventions. In exchange for the right to exclude others from making, selling or using an invention, the details of the invention are publ...

Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of patent trolls on the rollout of 5G networks.

The Government’s ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030 and this will be achieved primarily by commercial investment from the three Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). Business models in which patents are b...

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to tackle patent trolls in the 5G standalone sector.

The Government’s ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030 and this will be achieved primarily by commercial investment from the three Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). Business models in which patents are b...

Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of patent trolls on funding for research and design in the 5G sector.

The government supports R&D in the 5G sector to boost growth and ensure secure, resilient digital infrastructure, including through the £271m Advanced Connectivity R&D Programme and the Global Coalition on Telecoms. As part of the government's foc...

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department (a) maintains and (b) plans to maintain a register of AI systems across government.

The Government Digital Service is implementing the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS), which provides a standardised way for departments and arm’s length bodies to publish information about algorithmic tools they use that significantly influence decisions or interact with the public. ATRS records are published in a central repository on GOV.UK, and more records are being added regularly as part of a phased mandatory rollout across government, providing a cross‑government mechanism to maintain and expand transparency over these systems.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the impact of Physical Infrastructure Access costs on the deployment of fibre optic broadband in rural areas.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product, and is currently finalising its Telecoms Access Review.DSIT officials regularly engage with Ofcom on these issues. In July, we published our draft updated Statement of Strategic Priorities to Ofcom that sets out the government’s view on the importance of competition to promote investment in broadband deployment across the UK, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 23 December 2025 to Question 100077 on Telecommunications: Innovation, whether she plans to connect all populated areas with (a) high and (b) very high connectivity as defined by Ofcom.

Government is working with the industry to deliver high quality digital connectivity right across the UK, whether this is fixed, or mobile connectivity. Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030, and we expect this to be delivered through the mobile operators' commercial network rollout plans. Ofcom, as the telecommunications regulator is responsible for reporting on coverage.For both non-standalone and standalone 5G, high and very high confidence thresholds are used. These thresholds are explained in detail in the methodology annex published alongside the Connected Nations 2025 report. This states that high confidence is associated with a probability of at least 80% of coverage being present in the predicted location and a 95% probability for very high confidence.

Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning the regulatory standard and the consumer information standard for 5G and 4G mobile coverage.

For the purpose of this answer, regulatory and consumer standards have been interpreted as how 4G and 5G is referred to by Ofcom in its Connected Nations reports and its consumer coverage checker, ‘Map Your Mobile’, respectively.The ‘Map Your Mobile’ tool was updated in June 2025 to provide consumers with a definition of ‘good’ mobile coverage, agnostic of any generation of cellular communications. This was done to better reflect what users today expect to do on their mobile device when connected to a mobile network in an easy to understand way.Network operators do refer to their products slightly differently in some cases, for example, referring to standalone 5G as 5G+ or 5G Ultra. These are marketing terms used for customers and do not reflect a different standard.

Innovation and Technology, how many telecoms sites remain on the (a) pre-2017 Electronic Communications Code and (b) pre-2022 Product security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act framework in Newton Abbot constituency.

The point at which agreements relating to telecoms infrastructure installations pre-dating the 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code will transfer onto the legal framework established through those reforms depends on the type of agreement previously in place and whether or not the agreement is renewed.The provisions that determine which legal framework applies to renewal agreements were set out in the Digital Economy Act 2017.Sections 61 - 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Act 2022 introduced measures extending the “no network” valuation scheme established by the 2017 reforms to certain agreements still regulated by pre-2017 frameworks when they are renewed. Regulations relating to these provisions were made on 15 December 2025. Agreements affected by these regulations will move onto the “no network” valuation scheme on renewal after the regulations come into force on 7 April 2026.

Innovation and Technology, if he will have discussions with Ofcom on ensuring the reporting of statistics on where the full allocation of 5G is not being used.

Ofcom is responsible for the management of spectrum in the UK. Ofcom monitors mobile coverage, including 5G, at a regional level and publishes a mobile coverage checker, Map your Mobile. Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report (published 19 November 2025) shows over 12,000 UK sites now provide standalone 5G. Ofcom does not report spectrum allocation by individual sites, as regional data provides a clearer picture of the overall service available for consumers.The government works closely with Ofcom to ensure spectrum is used effectively and to maintain accurate coverage reporting to support policy, investment, and informed consumer choice.

Innovation and Technology, what information her Department holds on the quality of 5G UK mobile services compared to (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) the USA, (d) China, (e) Spain and (f) other international counterparts.

The department uses Ofcom's Connected Nations data which includes metrics on geographic, indoor and outdoor premises coverage across the UK. Ofcom describes quality of service using coverage confidence levels and signal strength thresholds. The methodology is available at: CN2025 - Methodology Annex.The department is aware of various external data sources, including the EU commission’s 5G Observatory report 2025 | Shaping Europe’s digital future, The Mobile Economy 2025 - The Mobile Economy and Global Network Excellence Index | Opensignal that publish a variety of metrics for international comparisons. While direct comparisons between countries are difficult to draw, this is an invaluable input into informing the department’s policy development.The EU commission published data on 5G coverage for households at the end of 2024 which showed that coverage in the UK at the end of 2024 (95%) was on par with India, China and ahead of France (94%) and the EU (94.3%), but behind South Korea (100%), Japan (99.2%), Norway, Iceland and Germany (all 99%) as well as Spain (95.7%) and USA (97.0%). Since this assessment, UK 5G coverage outside premises has increased to 97%.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to foster innovation in the Telecoms market.

This government recognises the importance of innovative and modern telecoms networks. Alongside deploying the best technology now, there is an opportunity to grow the UK’s role in shaping and developing Advanced Connectivity Technologies for the future. We will invest at least £370 million R&D and infrastructure to support promising UK companies; ensure the right spectrum is available and deepen our ties with other-leading countries in the sector. The government is also working with industry to ensure that at least 99% of premises have access to gigabit capable broadband by 2032 and that all populated areas have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030.