The importance of mobile connectivity has grown exponentially over the past few years, with mobile phone ownership in Wales said to be standing at over 90 per cent for adults—and, from my own experience, it may be even greater with children. Of these mobile phone users in Wales, 57 per cent report using a mobile phone to go online. Therefore, the importance of such connectivity has increased enormously over a relatively short period of time. The question, then, is: has the industry kept pace with these developments? For Wales, unfortunately, the answer has to be ‘no’. Statistics show we have the lowest coverage in the UK. It is concerning, therefore, to read in the Welsh Government’s response to recommendation 4 of the economy and infrastructure committee's report that Ofcom are consulting on their obligations. Their current proposal is setting coverage obligations for Wales at 83 per cent, whilst that for England and Northern Ireland is set at 90 per cent. This is surely nothing short of an insult to Wales. Can we be assured that the Welsh Government will be more than forceful in its deliberations with Ofcom, demanding nothing short of parity with other parts of the UK?

We all know that the planning regime has a key part to play in mobile phone coverage across Wales. It is therefore imperative that the planning regime is as flexible and conducive as possible, reflecting both the topography and population distribution of Wales. All mobile operators were of the opinion that increasing the permissible height of masts from 15 to 30m could have a dramatic effect on coverage, and it is good to see that the Welsh Government, although not going to the 30m, has now agreed to 25m masts. And as Joyce Watson pointed out, it is imperative that these masts are shared. We understand from the operators that a greater height in masts will allow a greater amount of sharing. So, it will be important for the Welsh Government to make sure that they are implementing what they say they are.

We all know that the planning regime has a key part to play in mobile phone coverage across Wales. It is therefore imperative that the planning—. Sorry, I do apologise.

If Wales is to have a mobile coverage network fit for the twenty-first century, it may have to call on innovative methods to cover the many notspots that now exist. The Welsh Government should do all that it can to encourage such innovation. The importance of our emergency services and their ability to save lives depends on the emergency services mobile communications programme—ESMCP. It has received support from the Home Office in providing funding for masts in areas where it is not viable for service providers to do so. Given the comment by EE that they were reaching the edges of commercial viability in terms of direct investment, the Welsh Government should be exploring every possible opportunity to share some of ESMCP's facilities. As EE's comments obviously relate to the topography of Wales, should we look at how parts of Scotland manage with similar topographical restraints?

In summary, it must be recognised that the Welsh Government has done an excellent job of rolling out internet connectivity over a short period of time, but we must see the same robustness apply to the mobile network, which will take an increasing part in connectivity over the coming years. We must acknowledge that 5G, the next new innovation to the mobile network, is rapidly expanding. Wales must be ready to embrace this latest innovation. We cannot be seen to be lagging behind in adopting this new technology. Indeed, if we are to attract high-tech industries to Wales, it is imperative that we are at the forefront of providing such technologies.