Ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget on 22nd November 2017, Mobile UK is urging the Chancellor to ensure fiscal parity towards the deployment of all telecommunications equipment. Moving towards better parity will not only make mobile infrastructure roll out quicker and more cost effective to mobile operators but it will also greatly enhance the Government’s ambition to maintain the UK’s position as a leading digitally connected country.

Mobile UK urges the Chancellor to use his Budget to:

1. Communicate a clear plan as part of the industrial strategy to foster a better policy and regulatory environment for mobile infrastructure deployment
2. Introduce Business Rates Relief for new mobile infrastructure deployment, especially for harder to reach areas
3. Commit to continue and enhance full fibre deployment to facilitate mobile/5G roll-out
4. Ensure additional funding to assist the planning and development functions of local authorities to aid mobile infrastructure deployment

Hamish MacLeod, Director of Mobile UK, said:

“Digital connectivity is critical to the UK’s economy yet mobile infrastructure continues play second fiddle to other infrastructure. At this Budget, we urge the Chancellor to provide parity with fixed broadband by extending Business Rates relief to new mobile infrastructure, especially in hard to reach areas, to enable rapid deployment and to ready the UK for 5G.”

“In addition, it is important to rectify the worrying cuts in planning and development functions that have left planning departments across the country woefully under-resourced and unable to attract or retain the high-quality planner essential to mobile deployment.”

Notes to Editors:

• Mobile UK is the trade association for the UK’s mobile network operators -  EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.
• The Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill enables 100% business rates relief for operators who install new fibre on their networks bust does not cover the installation of mobile infrastructure.
• From 2010-11 to 2014-15 the National Audit Office reported that the budgets of planning departments had nearly halved.
• Mobile UK's full budget submission to the Chancellor can be found below.