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Mobile Phones

Asked by Rupert LoweRestore BritainDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 21 January 2026UIN 105501

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an estimate of the total number of active mobile phone (a) connections (b) contracts/subscriptions in the UK.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan

Ofcom's Telecommunications Market Data Update, published on the 15th of January 2026, shows that the number of active mobile phone subscriptions in the UK was 91 million as of the end of September 2025. This figure represents an increase of 895,000 subscriptions, or a one per cent increase, compared with the previous year. These numbers exclude Machine-to-Machine SIMs.

Ofcom do not hold a figure for the number of active mobile phone connections in the UK.

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