Department for Energy Security and Net Zero written question – answered at on 29 April 2026.
Ian Roome
Liberal Democrat, North Devon
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his department is taking to ensure that the adoption of smart meters does not disadvantage domestic energy customers in rural areas that have poor mobile connectivity.
Ian Roome
Liberal Democrat, North Devon
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help ensure that poor mobile connectivity in rural areas does not disadvantage domestic energy customers in rural areas if they are unable to adopt smart meters.
Martin McCluskey
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Data Communications Company (DCC) is the organisation responsible for the smart metering network in Great Britain, and is obligated to provide smart meter network connectivity to at least 99.25% of premises across GB. The Government is working closely with the DCC to ensure that smart meter connectivity can be extended to the small minority of unserved properties in all regions, including rural areas, as soon as reasonably possible.
One such solution, currently being rolled out, is Virtual WAN (VWAN) which involves using customers’ broadband connection (with consent) to carry smart metering communications.
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