5. Will the Leader of the House make a statement on 5G connectivity in Cardiff? OAQ53095

Yes. I very much welcome the recent industry announcement declaring the planned 5G investment in Cardiff.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for that answer. Indeed, EE announced that Cardiff was one of the six UK cities that would be the first to get 5G mobile networks. This promises to improve services, not just through personal devices, and that will be transformative, but to offer an integrated infrastructure for buildings, transport, public utilities, providing unprecedented benefits for citizens, businesses and the city. However, to see the full value of these benefits, a high level of collaboration will be needed to hardwire the technology into our city's infrastructure, and there is a danger that this could become something of an afterthought. So, what is the Welsh Government going to do to work with the likes of EE and other mobile providers to ensure that Cardiff becomes a model, not just for towns and cities across Wales, but, indeed, across the UK?

Yes, I'm very keen to do that. I've already met with the company's roll-out leader in this regard and we've been working very closely together to make sure, alongside the city deal people, that we are completely in that space. David Melding is absolutely right—5G-enabled technologies will completely transform the way in which Wales's future industries grow. If you think of the difference that the smartphone has made to the way we work, which probably none of us would have predicted fewer than three years ago, we're looking at the same kind of revolution again for 5G—things that you'll be able to do on your small device that are just out of your contemplation now.

So, we're looking to do three things: we're looking to benefit from the technology itself, but we're also looking to be producers of the widgets—that's a technical term—that produce it. So, we have the compound semiconductor cluster here in Cardiff. I don't know if Members realise quite how many of the widgets in your smartphone are actually made in Wales; very large proportions of them are. So, we're looking to be part of the supply chain that makes the thing in the first place, and to be early adopters of the technology. EE are looking to roll out their first programme in what they call the busiest parts of Cardiff—and that does actually does include the Welsh Assembly, so we'll be able to be early adopters in that regard. I'm very much looking forward to it.