Connected Britain 2026 brought together telecoms leaders and policymakers to tackle a pivotal challenge: creating the right investment environment for world-class mobile networks. With the UK government targeting nationwide 5G Standalone coverage by 2030, Telecoms Minister Ian Murray reaffirmed the administration's commitment to the Mobile Market Review, setting the stage for discussions on aligning policy with essential digital infrastructure goals.

These considerations took centre stage during a dedicated panel featuring representatives from Mobile UK, BT Group, VodafoneThree, Virgin Media O2, and Ofcom. The speakers addressed the UK's mobile investment gap, noting that while a prolonged regulatory focus on consumer affordability has kept prices competitive, it has significantly constrained network investment. Mobile UK's Gareth Elliott and fellow panellists emphasised that delivering nationwide 5G SA requires substantial private capital, urging regulators to treat mobile connectivity as critical national infrastructure amidst rising costs for network modernisation, security, and resilience.

Beyond national policy, the discussion highlighted planning reform and multi-stakeholder collaboration as essential enablers for physical delivery. Delays in planning approvals and inconsistent local authority approaches continue to hinder site upgrades and new deployment. Delivering the UK's digital ambitions will require coordinated action across government, regulators, mobile operators, local authorities, and landowners to eliminate bottlenecks and accelerate rollout.

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