What action is the Welsh Government taking to address mobile and high-speed broadband blackspots in rural Wales?
Telecommunications is not a devolved matter and responsibility for improving mobile phone and broadband connectivity in Wales rests with the UK Government.
We aim to create the right conditions for telecoms industry investment in mobile phone connectivity with the levers at our disposal and continue to make the case for ongoing investment in digital infrastructure throughout Wales. This includes encouraging private sector operators to expand their own networks.
Welsh Government has partnered with industry and the public sector to support innovative projects that help tackle mobile not spots in rural areas of Wales. For example, we recently worked with BT and Denbighshire County Council to help bring a mobile signal to the rural village of Clocaenog in Denbighshire for the first time.
Officials have engaged with the UK Government on the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme and established a joint working group to support the delivery of the programme in Wales. Through the SRN programme the Mobile Network Operators are required to meet binding coverage obligations.
The Welsh Government is currently undertaking a review of broadband connectivity to update our understanding of broadband availability at a premises level for all premises in Wales. This will identify those premises with the slowest broadband speeds and where there are no plans for improvements in the next three years. We plan to invest where there are gaps in both commercial and UK-led public sector schemes, including Project Gigabit, to ensure that every home and business in Wales has access to at least superfast broadband (at speeds between 30 and 100 Mbps).