AQW 52924/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 24/09/2026
Answered On Date: 06/10/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail (i) any assessment that has been made of the resilience of broadband infrastructure in rural East Londonderry during severe weather; and (ii) any consideration that has been given to funding the undergrounding of infrastructure in areas that experience repeated outages.

Answer:

I recognise that resilient telecoms networks are important to consumers and businesses here, given our increasing reliance on digital communications services. Under current communications legislation, communications providers remain responsible for operating and maintaining resilient networks, with Ofcom overseeing statutory security and resilience obligations.

Officials engage with telecommunications providers and Ofcom to review evidence from severe weather events through local and national forums. Some operators have introduced enhanced measures to prepare for future events, including proactive pole testing, improved battery and backhaul resilience, additional supply-chain capacity, and more detailed analysis of sections of overhead network that have been affected repeatedly. I understand that the British Government is scoping a network-hardening review to identify options for infrastructure to operate for longer during disruption across Britain. However, no funding has been earmarked to date for any outworkings of the review.