Highland MP Drew Hendry has written to the UK Government calling for greater commitment to tackling mobile connectivity problems in remote parts of Scotland.
He urged the Conservatives to listen to rural communities and take action to deal with digital inequality.
The former Highland Council leader said he had raised the issue repeatedly in the House of Commons, including during his maiden speech.
But he insisted little had been done that showed ambition or leadership and pointed to an Ofcom report from the end of last year which found 43% of Highland roads still do not have reliable text or voice coverage.
He added: “The statistics get even starker when you consider 3G and 4G technologies that many areas of the UK take for granted.”
The Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP said: “The UK Government presides over a mobile coverage licensing regime which has, to date, allowed mobile companies to reap the commercial benefits of the large urban areas at the expense of rural communities.
“This cycle needs to stop and it can be achieved by ensuring that future technology licences are drawn up to specify that rural communities have priority for the role out of new provision.
“5G is still in development but the technology will be ready to roll out soon enough. The UK Government has the opportunity – now – to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated and that the opportunities for rural communities to prosper are given equal footing to the large cities.”
Mr Hendry has written to Ed Vaizey, minister for the digital economy, to voice his concerns.
In his letter, he called on the Conservatives to match the Scottish Government’s recent commitment to ensuring rural communities are no longer at the back of the queue for new technology deployment.
Last year, the SNP MP urged ministers to be “visionary” after being told his call for 5G in rural areas to be included in the universal service obligation (USO) was not feasible.
But the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said at the time that 5G could not be considered as part of the USO because it did not “actually exist as a product”.
In addition, under EU rules, for a service to be included, the majority of people must have access and be using it.
