Building Mobile Britain

Building Mobile Britain is seeking to work with national and local government, as well as interested industry groups to overcome the challenges we face with expanding the existing mobile networks, while also developing innovative services for customers.The mobile operators are determined to continually improve and expand the UK’s mobile capacity, and are currently part-way through a £5bn investment programme to extend coverage and capacity. By the end of 2017 a 4G indoor signal will be available to 98% of premises from at least one operator and other operators have indicated they aim to match this.

Good mobile connectivity is no longer an optional extra. It is cross-cutting essential infrastructure as core to modern economic activity as broadband, electricity and other essential services. The benefits of improving mobile connectivity go far beyond greater mobile coverage. Increased mobile deployment has huge potential to deliver real economic, political and societal benefits. These benefits include:

• driving local economic growth and supporting local small businesses
• tackling digital exclusion
• facilitating innovation in health & social care services
• fostering efficiency in energy and transport

However, we continue to face challenges to the deployment of mobile infrastructure which is fundamental to improve the UK’s mobile connectivity. The challenges we face occur at both the local and national level, as well as from investment competition in the global market. We recognise the UK Government’s desire to balance the protection of customers with mobile deployment, however we have a finite budget and developing the right environment for mobile operators to invest in mobile infrastructure is very important.

Mobile UK shares the UK Government’s ambition for the UK to have world class, leading digital connectivity, with enhanced mobile connectivity playing an integral part of delivering this ambition.

We stand ready to work in partnership as the mobile networks expand into harder to reach areas.

CALL TO ACTION: Our asks

• Reform of the Permitted Development Rights regime to enable fast and effective deployment of mobile infrastructure
• Government support for wider and more effective adoption of the reformed Electronic Communications Code.
• Appointment of local authority digital champions to facilitate and assist mobile infrastructure rollout
• All Local Development Plans to reference the importance of mobile infrastructure to economic development and social inclusion
• All public bodies to make available their assets for siting mobile apparatus on Electronic Communication Code Terms
• Introduction of business rates relief for new mobile infrastructure development, especially in harder to reach areas
• Continued promotion of full-fibre deployment to facilitate mobile and 5G rollout