Question follow-through · 33644

Business: Rural Areas

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of BTs move from copper wire landlines to mobile voice systems on rural businesses.

answeredDepartment for Science, Innovation and Technology

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Tabled
25 Feb 2025
Target answer date
27 Feb 2025
Answer
5 Mar 2025 · 8 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Economy and business

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Recorded timeline

  1. 25 Feb 2025

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of BTs move from copper wire landlines to mobile voice systems on rural businesses.

  2. 27 Feb 2025

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 5 Mar 2025

    Answer published

    The transition from the old analogue landline network, also known as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), to new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which delivers voice calls over an internet connection, is industry led. Importantly, landlines ...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Broadband: Rural Areas

27 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support alternative network providers to deploy broadband in rural areas.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Broadband

27 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support alternative network providers to deploy broadband in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Broadband: Rural Areas

27 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with Ofcom on the cost of the per-metre charging regime for rural network builders.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Technology: Innovation

3 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support tech innovation in (a) Hexham constituency and (b) the North East.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Artificial Intelligence: North East

3 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment the her Department has made of the potential impact of the AI Growth Zone in the North East on economic growth in the Hexham constituency.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Digital Technology: Disadvantaged

3 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help tackle digital exclusion in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Internet: Children and Young People

3 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with stakeholders in the North East on the protection children and young people from harmful content online.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Mobile Phones: Standards

4 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Department is taking to improve mobile telephone signal in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Internet: Safety

4 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with stakeholders in the North East on protecting children and young people from harmful content online.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Shared Rural Network: North East

18 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what conversations the Department has had with relevant stakeholders in the North East regarding the Shared Rural Network.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Shared Rural Network

18 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what conversations the Department has had with relevant stakeholders regarding improving connectivity in hard-to-reach areas across the country as part of the Shared Rural Network.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Project Gigabit: Hexham

20 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress her Department has made on the rollout of Project Gigabit in the Hexham constituency.