This briefing assesses the economic, social and environmental gains that enhancing the UK’s mobile network infrastructure and ubiquitous 5G mobile connectivity could deliver for the UK, and provides a brief overview of the key challenges holding back the UK from reaping those rewards.
KEY POINTS
- Increasing the UK’s growth rate is the new government’s primary mission. Mobile connectivity and the infrastructure that enables it can make a key contribution to achieving that ambition.
- Successive new generations of mobile technology have boosted economies in the past. The introduction of 5G is no different. Studies suggest that, by 2035, widespread availability and use of 5G could add £159 billion to the UK economy.
- The primary economic benefits that 5G brings will be felt by businesses, through its role in supporting operational efficiencies and the diffusion of innovations across industries. As a result, consumers will mainly benefit indirectly.
- If 5G becomes ubiquitous, it is also expected to drive gains in the efficacy of the delivery of public services and help deliver a plethora of environmental benefits.
- Despite repeatedly stated aspirations to be world-leading in 5G, the UK is far behind the “global frontier” and a number of peer European economies. Data suggests that the users of 5G in the UK only have access to it around 10% of the time. By contrast, in India, users have access over 40% of the time.
- Consistent with Labour’s plan for boosting growth, there is considerable scope for the private sector to invest more in next generation mobile connectivity. However, a number of factors including previous policies towards the mobile telecoms sector have unintentionally hindered investment.
- These factors include policies that have unintentionally helped to inhibit investment in 5G. For instance, the approach to spectrum and some of the efforts to try cut the cost of building infrastructure. Specifically, measures aimed at making it cheaper for MNOs to operate mobile masts have resulted in less land being supplied for infrastructure and an unprecedented rise in the number of disputes between landowners and infrastructure builders along with a significant increase in costly litigation.
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