Responding to the Labour Party’s review into rural England policy Mobile UK has set out some key areas across a broad range of policy that the mobile industry believes must be considered by the Party as part of its review.

In summary we believe that the recommendations below would be a positive step in creating the right environment for mobile operators to assist in enhancing and expanding mobile connectivity in rural areas across the UK:

• Support for ongoing reforms to planning regulations for telecommunications apparatus, including enhancements to Permitted Development Rights and removing discrepancies in the regimes between fixed and mobile.
• Support the current review of the Electronic Communications Code (ECC). There are clear signs that the Code is not working as intended or that the legislation is insufficiently clear in certain respects (such as sharing rights).

Responding to the Labour Party’s Rural England PolicyReview, Gareth Elliott, Head of Policy and Communications at Mobile UK said:

“The pandemic has highlighted just how important mobile connectivity is to rural England and through the Shared Rural Network programme the industry is committed to expanding coverage across the whole of England. However, it is equally important that the policy and regulatory regime continues to remain up to date and flexible to the changing characteristics of mobile technology so that the industry can maintain its ability to provide the services its customers require.”