Question follow-through · 100558

Voice over Internet Protocol: Rural Areas

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network and the transition to VoIP landline services, particularly during power o

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
16 Dec 2025
Target answer date
18 Dec 2025
Answer
23 Dec 2025 · 7 calendar days after tabling

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

Recorded timeline

  1. 16 Dec 2025

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network and the transition to VoIP landline services, particularly during power o

  2. 18 Dec 2025

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 23 Dec 2025

    Answer published

    The number of major incidents on the PSTN (affecting 500 or more customers) has been increasing. In 2024, there was a 45% increase compared to the previous year. In 2024/25 there were over 2,600 major incidents on the PSTN. VoIP landline services are more...

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

Animal Experiments

20 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she had with companies involved in activities authorised by a licence under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2025.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Animal Experiments

14 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to publish research priorities for alternative methods to animal testing to support its phasing out.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Animal Experiments: Primates

23 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress has been made to end the use of non-human primates in scientific testing.