Telecommunications: Infrastructure
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of telecommunications have been buried underground since the introduction of the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003.
Answered by Chris Bryant
While the 2003 Regulations require operators to use underground lines where reasonably practicable, with certain exceptions, this will not always be possible due to costs or if existing infrastructure is not suitable for sharing.
The method of network deployment in commercially viable areas is a commercial decision made by network operators.
Therefore the Department does not actively monitor the proportion of telecommunications infrastructure buried underground since the introduction of the Electronic Communications Code.
However, Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2024 Report indicated that Openreach has deployed 496,000 km of ducts and 4.1 million telegraph poles across the UK.
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