To ask the Minister for the Economy for an update on the Mobile Action Plan for Northern Ireland.

The Mobile Action Plan for Northern Ireland (MAP NI) was published on 23 June 2022. The delivery vehicle for the actions identified within the MAP NI is the Northern Ireland Barrier Busting Taskforce (NIBBT).

Officials from my Department chair the NIBBT Oversight Group and the NIBBT Communication Subgroup. The NIBBT Communication Subgroup is delivering a programme of information to help inform citizens, address any perceived risks regarding new mobile technologies and outline the advantages, opportunities and benefits to the local economy.

I am confident that every effort to develop and deliver all actions that fall within my Department’s remit are being progressed at pace. The ongoing work streams required to deliver other MAP NI actions by the NIBBT, are dependent on participation of all stakeholders who sit outside my Department.

My officials are currently producing a milestone report on the progress and status of the NIBBT, which will be published in due course.

To date the NIBBT Communications Subgroup has:

Conducted surveys for Council Officials and Elected members and of the business community to help identify information needs;

Established Digital Champions in each local council who have formed a network which meets regularly. Each Digital Champion acts as a single point of contact for mobile industry, engages with stakeholders and promotes collaboration within and across councils (MAP NI action 4);

Delivered an information webinar for council elected members on 14 November 2024 (MAP NI action 3); and

Worked with the Local Government Association (NILGA) on the production of a Guide to Connectivity for Councillors which is nearing completion (MAP NI action 3)

Other work is ongoing to produce suitable material for citizens and the business community. The NIBBT is collaborating with Belfast City Council’s 5G Innovation Region Team on appropriate communication products.

The NIBBT Planning Subgroup is currently comparing the planning landscape across Britain prior to deciding if action is required and the Publicly Owned Assets Subgroup is investigating the potential use of publicly owned assets by mobile infrastructure providers.

More information about MAP NI can be found at economy-ni.gov.uk.