Latest news with #MobileUK
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Slash taxes to boost Britain's 5G coverage, Starmer urged
Mobile networks have urged Sir Keir Starmer to slash taxes to help improve Britain's sluggish 5G coverage. The UK's four network operators – EE, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone and Three – have warned that burdensome fees and taxes were hampering their ability to make the investments required to improve mobile signal across the country. The companies singled out so-called spectrum licence fees, which they say are costing the industry roughly £320m a year. While regulator Ofcom has proposed to slash these fees by £40m as part of an ongoing review, mobile firms called for the money to be diverted back into network investment rather than being funnelled to the Treasury. They also called for a business rates holiday on new mobile masts, similar to the tax relief offered to full-fibre broadband companies in 2017. Poor mobile coverage has become a major political issue in recent years, with MPs warning that patchy signals are harming consumers and damaging productivity. Ofcom is currently reviewing the way it measures mobile coverage after Chris Bryant, telecoms minister, raised concerns about 'over-optimistic' reporting of signals by the regulator. A new report from Assembly Research, commissioned by trade body Mobile UK, accused ministers of overlooking the mobile industry in the recent Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and called for reforms in the upcoming 10-year infrastructure strategy. While much of the focus in recent years has been on broadband infrastructure, the report said ministers had done 'relatively little to move the needle' for mobile operators. The report said: 'Investment in fast and reliable mobile networks is crucial to the UK's plans to harness the power of AI and transform public services, including the NHS. It is therefore time the Government turns its messaging into action.' Other recommendations included a reform of planning laws to make it easier to expand and upgrade mobile infrastructure, and greater support for operators' plans to retire their ageing 2G networks. The operators also called for guarantees that funds already committed to a £1bn project to tackle signal 'not spots' in rural areas will be retained for other areas, such as coverage on railways, amid concerns ministers are planning to scale back the programme. Hamish MacLeod, chief executive of Mobile UK, said: 'The Government has rightly identified growth as its top priority and called on the UK's telecoms industry to help strengthen the economy. Now, it's crucial for the Government to prioritise mobile infrastructure, enabling operators to accelerate investment in coverage and capacity. 'This will be fundamental to underpinning growth and fostering innovation throughout the UK economy, and the upcoming Spending Review and Infrastructure Strategy are key moments to demonstrate this commitment.' A government spokesman said: 'Access to fast and reliable mobile coverage is critical to help boost economic growth and realise our Plan for Change. 'We are on a mission to deliver higher quality 5G standalone coverage to all populated areas of the UK by 2030. This includes removing planning barriers and putting in place the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
11-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Slash taxes to boost Britain's 5G coverage, Starmer urged
Mobile networks have urged Sir Keir Starmer to slash taxes to help improve Britain's sluggish 5G coverage. The UK's four network operators – EE, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone and Three – have warned that burdensome fees and taxes were hampering their ability to make the investments required to improve mobile signal across the country. The companies singled out so-called spectrum licence fees, which they say are costing the industry roughly £320m a year. While regulator Ofcom has proposed to slash these fees by £40m as part of an ongoing review, mobile firms called for the money to be diverted back into network investment rather than being funnelled to the Treasury. They also called for a business rates holiday on new mobile masts, similar to the tax relief offered to full-fibre broadband companies in 2017. Poor mobile coverage has become a major political issue in recent years, with MPs warning that patchy signals are harming consumers and damaging productivity. Ofcom is currently reviewing the way it measures mobile coverage after Chris Bryant, telecoms minister, raised concerns about 'over-optimistic' reporting of signals by the regulator. A new report from Assembly Research, commissioned by trade body Mobile UK, accused ministers of overlooking the mobile industry in the recent Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and called for reforms in the upcoming 10-year infrastructure strategy. While much of the focus in recent years has been on broadband infrastructure, the report said ministers had done 'relatively little to move the needle' for mobile operators. The report said: 'Investment in fast and reliable mobile networks is crucial to the UK's plans to harness the power of AI and transform public services, including the NHS. It is therefore time the Government turns its messaging into action.' Other recommendations included a reform of planning laws to make it easier to expand and upgrade mobile infrastructure, and greater support for operators' plans to retire their ageing 2G networks. The operators also called for guarantees that funds already committed to a £1bn project to tackle signal 'not spots' in rural areas will be retained for other areas, such as coverage on railways, amid concerns ministers are planning to scale back the programme. Hamish MacLeod, chief executive of Mobile UK, said: 'The Government has rightly identified growth as its top priority and called on the UK's telecoms industry to help strengthen the economy. Now, it's crucial for the Government to prioritise mobile infrastructure, enabling operators to accelerate investment in coverage and capacity. 'This will be fundamental to underpinning growth and fostering innovation throughout the UK economy, and the upcoming Spending Review and Infrastructure Strategy are key moments to demonstrate this commitment.' A government spokesman said: 'Access to fast and reliable mobile coverage is critical to help boost economic growth and realise our Plan for Change. 'We are on a mission to deliver higher quality 5G standalone coverage to all populated areas of the UK by 2030. This includes removing planning barriers and putting in place the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Slash taxes to boost Britain's 5G coverage, Starmer urged
Mobile networks have urged Sir Keir Starmer to slash taxes to help improve Britain's sluggish 5G coverage. The UK's four network operators – EE, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone and Three – have warned that burdensome fees and taxes were hampering their ability to make the investments required to improve mobile signal across the country. The companies singled out so-called spectrum licence fees, which they say are costing the industry roughly £320m a year. While regulator Ofcom has proposed to slash these fees by £40m as part of an ongoing review, mobile firms called for the money to be diverted back into network investment rather than being funnelled to the Treasury. They also called for a business rates holiday on new mobile masts, similar to the tax relief offered to full-fibre broadband companies in 2017. Poor mobile coverage has become a major political issue in recent years, with MPs warning that patchy signals are harming consumers and damaging productivity. Ofcom is currently reviewing the way it measures mobile coverage after Chris Bryant, telecoms minister, raised concerns about 'over-optimistic' reporting of signals by the regulator. A new report from Assembly Research, commissioned by trade body Mobile UK, accused ministers of overlooking the mobile industry in the recent Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and called for reforms in the upcoming 10-year infrastructure strategy. While much of the focus in recent years has been on broadband infrastructure, the report said ministers had done 'relatively little to move the needle' for mobile operators. The report said: 'Investment in fast and reliable mobile networks is crucial to the UK's plans to harness the power of AI and transform public services, including the NHS. It is therefore time the Government turns its messaging into action.' Other recommendations included a reform of planning laws to make it easier to expand and upgrade mobile infrastructure, and greater support for operators' plans to retire their ageing 2G networks. The operators also called for guarantees that funds already committed to a £1bn project to tackle signal 'not spots' in rural areas will be retained for other areas, such as coverage on railways, amid concerns ministers are planning to scale back the programme. Hamish MacLeod, chief executive of Mobile UK, said: 'The Government has rightly identified growth as its top priority and called on the UK's telecoms industry to help strengthen the economy. Now, it's crucial for the Government to prioritise mobile infrastructure, enabling operators to accelerate investment in coverage and capacity. 'This will be fundamental to underpinning growth and fostering innovation throughout the UK economy, and the upcoming Spending Review and Infrastructure Strategy are key moments to demonstrate this commitment.' A government spokesman said: 'Access to fast and reliable mobile coverage is critical to help boost economic growth and realise our Plan for Change. 'We are on a mission to deliver higher quality 5G standalone coverage to all populated areas of the UK by 2030. This includes removing planning barriers and putting in place the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Demands to improve rural connectivity after storms
Demands have been made to improve communication technology in rural areas following Storm Éowyn. Cumbrian MPs met telecoms providers and mobile network operators in Parliament this week, telling them to "step up and invest" after power cuts left people with no way to communicate. Labour's Josh MacAlister, who represents Whitehaven and Workington, said: "We don't think enough is being done to improve connectivity in rural areas of Cumbria or to respond quickly when issues occur." Trade association Mobile UK said the industry was "exploring new ways" to provide temporary coverage or back-up power sources to impacted areas. Thousands of homes were left without power during Storm Éowyn in January. Issues were exacerbated by the digital phone line switchover, MacAlister said. People had been switched from physical copper-based landlines to internet-based services as part of larger roll-out. MacAlister said rural areas where the mobile signal was reliant on one mast and where landlines had been changed to connect via the internet were left with "no way to communicate" during power cuts. He called for improvements such as battery back up at masts. "We also want to see more data sharing across the system," MacAlister said. "This should be happening already." Mobile UK director of policy and communications Gareth Elliot said its operators had worked "around the clock" to repair damaged equipment "as quickly as possible after the unprecedented wind speeds of Storm Éowyn". He said the mobile industry had already taken "important steps to improve resiliency during extreme weather events". Work included installing masts to provide overlapping coverage where possible. Many of the UK's mobile operators are developing self-powering mobile mast sites so that connectivity is not entirely reliant on power companies to provide electricity, Mobile UK said. The energy regulator Ofgem said its local network investment plan for 2028 to 2032 would require upgrades and reinforcements to withstand more regular extreme weather events. A spokesperson for Electricity North West said it "relies on resilient mobile networks" to communicate with customers during incidents. "We completely support the need for mobile operators to provide increased resilience of phone masts." MacAlistair said MPs had convened a further meeting with the utility companies at the start of June "to check on progress". Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Storm Éowyn clean-up operation gets under way Homes without power and trees down in Storm Éowyn Mobile UK Ofgem
BBC News
15-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cumbrian MPs call for better rural connectivity after Storm Éowyn
Demands have been made to improve communication technology in rural areas following Storm É MPs met telecoms providers and mobile network operators in Parliament this week, telling them to "step up and invest" after power cuts left people with no way to Josh MacAlister, who represents Whitehaven and Workington, said: "We don't think enough is being done to improve connectivity in rural areas of Cumbria or to respond quickly when issues occur."Trade association Mobile UK said the industry was "exploring new ways" to provide temporary coverage or back-up power sources to impacted areas. Thousands of homes were left without power during Storm Éowyn in were exacerbated by the digital phone line switchover, MacAlister had been switched from physical copper-based landlines to internet-based services as part of larger roll-out. MacAlister said rural areas where the mobile signal was reliant on one mast and where landlines had been changed to connect via the internet were left with "no way to communicate" during power called for improvements such as battery back up at masts."We also want to see more data sharing across the system," MacAlister said. "This should be happening already." 'Extreme weather' Mobile UK director of policy and communications Gareth Elliot said its operators had worked "around the clock" to repair damaged equipment "as quickly as possible after the unprecedented wind speeds of Storm Éowyn".He said the mobile industry had already taken "important steps to improve resiliency during extreme weather events".Work included installing masts to provide overlapping coverage where of the UK's mobile operators are developing self-powering mobile mast sites so that connectivity is not entirely reliant on power companies to provide electricity, Mobile UK said. The energy regulator Ofgem said its local network investment plan for 2028 to 2032 would require upgrades and reinforcements to withstand more regular extreme weather events.A spokesperson for Electricity North West said it "relies on resilient mobile networks" to communicate with customers during incidents."We completely support the need for mobile operators to provide increased resilience of phone masts."MacAlistair said MPs had convened a further meeting with the utility companies at the start of June "to check on progress". Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
