Most MPs Expect UK to Miss Targets for 5G Mobile and Gigabit Broadband

A new survey of 108 Members of Parliament, which was conducted by consultancy firm Cluttons and polling company YouGov, has revealed that only 34% of MPs currently believe the UK will achieve the government’s target of delivering Standalone 5G (5GSA) mobile coverage to all populated areas by 2030. The figure drops even lower for the gigabit broadband target.

Most 5G networks today are still largely Non-Standalone (NSA), which means they’re partly reliant on older and slower 4G services that hobble performance. But SA networks are pure end-to-end 5G that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better speeds (particularly uploads), network slicing, improved support for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, support for Voice over 5G SA (Vo5G) calling, and increased reliability and security etc.

Both the past and present governments have held a target for the industry to expand the availability of 5GSA to “all populated areas” by 2030, which was first established in 2023 via the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy (here). But the new data from Cluttons reveals that only around one in three MPs are confident that the government will hit its 2030 digital connectivity targets.

Meanwhile, 28% of MPs also said they were “not confident” that the government would achieve its separate goal of reaching 99% of premises having access to gigabit-capable broadband “by 2030” (Project Gigabit), which was the target deadline when the survey was distributed (down from 33% last year). The government recently delayed this target to 2032 in the Spending Review (here), so clearly that spot of pessimism was not wrong.

Additional Survey Highlights

➤ 89% of MPs believe good digital connectivity (fast reliable mobile and broadband connections) is important for boosting economic growth.

➤ 71% said having a more supportive planning system was important to deliver the infrastructure needed to provide good connectivity.

➤ 44% of MPs said that constituents often raised connectivity issues with them.

➤ 60% of MPs believe that businesses understand the relationship between connectivity and infrastructure, such as masts and cables. But only 46% said policymakers understood this link and just 33% believed that residents were clear on this connection. Some education may be needed.

Off the back of the results, Cluttons is now calling for a “national information campaign” to raise public understanding of the relationship between connectivity and infrastructure. In addition, the consultancy firm wants to see accelerated “planning reform to streamline approvals” and enable faster rollouts of digital infrastructure, as well as the appointment of “Digital Placemakers” in local authorities to help coordinate the effort (backed by central government funding).

Gráinne Gilmore, Head of Research at Cluttons, said:

“The UK’s appetite for, and use of, data is soaring, with mobile traffic in the UK up 260% since 2019, and yet our ability to provide the infrastructure to support this growth remains challenging in too many areas. If we want to achieve our national connectivity goals, we need a joined-up approach that tackles the practical barriers to delivery. That starts with a national information campaign to help people understand how infrastructure like masts and cables underpins the connectivity they rely on every day.”

In fairness, the pessimism among MPs does seem to have softened a bit since last year, and good progress is still being made. For example, while we might not hit 99% coverage of gigabit broadband in 2030, the UK should still get pretty close to that figure (Ofcom currently predicts we’ll get to around 97% by May 2027).

As for 5G SA, EE expects to have extended 5G SA coverage to around 60% of the UK’s population by Spring 2026, while Vodafone and Three UK are aiming to reach around 71% by mid-2026 and then 99.95% by 2034.