What if the Government could unlock £37 billion for the UK economy without spending a single pound of taxpayers' money?

That was one of the key discussions in the latest episode of Policy Unplugged, where our Director of Policy and Communications, Gareth Elliott, sat down with Jack Rowlett, Head of Operations at Buffering Britain, a campaign to improve mobile signal and get mobile infrastructure delivered faster across the UK, to discuss why Britain's planning system is holding back the country's digital future.

Central to the discussion was Buffering Britain’s assertion that the UK ranks 59th in the world for mobile download speeds, behind Kazakhstan, Peru and Vietnam, while South Korea's network is three times faster than ours.  

Why is Britain placed lowly on global rankings?

Jack was clear in his view that we got here through political choices, and those choices can be reversed.

According to Buffering Britain’s research, the UK’s planning system is making it unnecessarily difficult and expensive to improve mobile infrastructure. The issue isn't the construction of vast numbers of new masts; in fact, 95% of the work needed is simply upgrading existing sites. Yet current planning rules often make even those upgrades cumbersome and time-consuming.

The good news is that a solution may already be on the table.

The forthcoming National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) reforms and proposed changes to permitted development rights present a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise Britain's digital infrastructure. If the Government gets these reforms right, the UK could unlock up to £37 billion in additional economic value by the mid-2030s. A fix that is largely free.

Rather than requiring major public investment, the changes needed are primarily legislative. By removing unnecessary barriers to upgrading mobile infrastructure, the Government could accelerate network improvements, boost productivity and support economic growth at virtually no cost to the public purse.

The stakes are rising rapidly. From AI and autonomous vehicles to remote healthcare and next-generation business services, reliable 5G connectivity is becoming essential infrastructure for modern life.

Yet millions of people still know the frustration of dropped calls, freezing video meetings and endless buffering. Left unresolved, poor connectivity will continue to drag down productivity and leave the UK falling further behind international competitors.

Importantly, the problem isn't felt equally across society. As Jack highlights in the episode, people on lower incomes are often more reliant on mobile connectivity because they are less likely to have access to high-quality fixed broadband. When mobile networks underperform, those most dependent on them can be the hardest hit.

Britain has a chance to stop buffering and start competing. The question is whether policymakers will seize it.

🎧 Watch the full episode of Policy Unplugged to hear Jack and Gareth discuss Buffering Britain’s campaign and how it is putting forward the case to stop the buffering and get Britain connected.  

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