The reforms will remove one of the biggest barriers to
better coverage in the countryside by reducing build
time and costs for new infrastructure while protecting
rural areas by minimising any visual impact.
Under the proposals, mobile companies will be allowed
to make new and existing masts up to five metres taller
and two metres wider than current rules permit. This
will increase the range of masts and allow operators to
fit more equipment on them so they can be more easily
shared.
The move will turbocharge the delivery of the £1
billion Shared Rural Network being built to eliminate
4G mobile ‘not spots’ in the countryside and will speed
up rollout of next-generation 5G networks.
It will incentivise mobile firms to focus on improving
existing masts over building new ones, with fewer new
masts needed for rural communities to get a better
signal now and to take full advantage of future
5G-connected technology. This includes innovations in
remote healthcare, self-driving vehicles and smart
devices such as fridges, TVs and heating systems.
Stricter rules will apply in protected areas, including
national parks, the Broads, conservation areas, areas
of outstanding natural beauty and world heritage sites.
The plans also include proposals to bring better mobile
coverage for road users by allowing building-based
masts to be placed nearer to highways.
The news comes as industry experts and academics set
out recommendations on how to reduce the UK’s reliance
on a small number of equipment vendors in the telecoms
supply chain.
Digital Secretary
said:
We want to level up the country and end the plague of
patchy and poor mobile signals in rural communities.
Today we are setting out plans to make it easier for
mobile firms to transform connectivity in the
countryside and propel villages and towns out of the
digital dark ages - providing a welcome boost for
millions of families, businesses and visitors.
These practical changes strike a careful balance
between removing unnecessary barriers holding back
better coverage, while making sure we protect our
precious landscape.
Most new masts will still need to be approved by local
authorities, which will have a say on where they are
placed and their appearance. Robust conditions and
limits will remain in place to make sure communities
and stakeholders are properly consulted and the
environment is protected.
Hamish MacLeod, Director of Mobile UK, said:
We welcome the proposals set out in this consultation
which will provide better certainty and flexibility
to technological changes required to build
world-class mobile networks. We urge the Government
that to assist mobile companies to meet its ambitious
targets for deployment, it brings about legislative
change as quickly as possible.
A joint technical
consultation between the Department for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Ministry for
Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has
been published today with details of the changes. It
follows an earlier
consultation in 2019 on the principle of the
reforms.
The consultation seeks views on reforms to permitted
development rights in England:
-
Existing mobile masts to be strengthened without
prior approval, so that they can be upgraded for 5G
and shared between mobile operators. This would
allow increases to the width of existing masts by
up to either 50% or two metres (whichever is
greatest), and in unprotected areas allow increases
in height up to a maximum of 25 metres (previously
20 metres). Greater increases will also be
permitted subject to approval by the local
authority.
-
New masts to be built up to five metres higher -
meaning a maximum of 30 metres in unprotected areas
and 25 metres in protected areas, subject to
approval by the planning authority.
-
Greater freedoms for slimline ‘monopole’ masts up
to 15 metres in height, which are less visually
intrusive than standard masts and used for 5G
rollout, in unprotected areas. This could mean
operators notifying local authorities of their
intention to proceed without needing prior
approval. This would align it with current rights
that telecoms operators have for telegraph poles.
-
Building-based masts to be placed nearer to
highways to bring better mobile coverage to road
networks, subject to prior approval, and in
unprotected areas smaller building-based masts to
be permitted without prior approval.
-
Cabinets containing radio equipment to be deployed
alongside masts without prior approval and to allow
greater flexibility for installing cabinets in
existing compounds - fenced-off sites containing
masts and other communications equipment - to
support new 5G networks.
DCMS will also lead on a new code of practice for
mobile network operators. This will provide updated
guidance on how operators and local authorities can
work together to build communications infrastructure
the country needs. It will also contain best practice
for the siting of new infrastructure, particularly in
protected areas, and ensuring stakeholders are properly
consulted.
The consultation will run for eight weeks and closes on
14 June 2021.
Telecoms Diversification Taskforce - final report
Led by former BT boss , the Telecoms Diversification Taskforce
was set up by the government to provide independent
advice on how to boost competition and innovation in
the UK telecoms market and build an open, sustainable
and diverse supply chain.
It follows the government’s decision to remove Huawei
equipment from UK 5G networks by 2027. While necessary
to protect national security, it means the UK will be
reliant on only two other 5G equipment suppliers: Nokia
and Ericsson.
The taskforce’s
report will support the government as it delivers
its £250 million Diversification
Strategy, mitigating the resilience risks to 5G
networks ahead of the 2027 deadline so people can have
confidence accessing the economic and social benefits
brought by 5G. It recommends:
- Working through telecoms standards-setting bodies
to encourage best practice in security and open
networks;
- Creating the right environment for diversification
through policy interventions - for example, setting out
a timetable for the winding down of 2G and 3G networks
to support the entry of new vendors into the UK market;
- Identifying interventions and investment to
accelerate the development and adoption of Open Radio
Access Network technology, including setting up a fund
for developing new products and ensuring testing
facilities such as the UK Telecoms Lab and SONIC meet
industry needs;
- Identifying opportunities to invest in long-term
research and innovation to build UK capability for
current and future generations of telecoms technology.
Now the taskforce has completed its work, the
government will study the findings and respond fully in
due course.
,
Minister for Digital Infrastructure, said:
Our £250 million strategy will unleash a wave of
innovation across the UK and make sure companies have
a wide range of revolutionary 5G technology to choose
from that is trusted and secure.
I welcome today’s report from the Telecoms
Diversification Taskforce. It will be instrumental in
helping us prepare our networks for next-generation
mobile technologies. We will now consider its
recommendations and respond in due course.
, Chair of the Taskforce, said:
It has been a privilege to lead the Taskforce and
help drive forward the government’s important work to
diversify the telecoms supply chain and reduce
reliance on high-risk vendors.
The government’s Diversification Strategy set out a
clear ambition and the Taskforce has suggested
concrete actions and policy recommendations to help
it meet its aims.
The UK now has the opportunity to create a more
diverse network and be an international leader in the
adoption of next-generation network technology. This
will present substantial opportunities for UK based
suppliers and users alike.
I would like to thank all of the Taskforce, made up
of an outstanding team of experts from industry and
academia, for their commitment and expertise in
producing this report.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Shared Rural Network
- The government
announced on 9 March 2020 that it had agreed a £1
billion deal with the four Mobile Network Operators
(MNOs) for a shared network of new and existing phone
masts in partial not spots (areas where there is
currently coverage from at least one, but not all
operators) and total not spots (areas where there is
currently no coverage from any operator). We are
already starting to see improvements as a result of
the SRN programme:
- Devauden in Wales became the first rural community
to benefit from the programme, when a mast went live in
the village on 17 June 2020. This was followed by
Longnor in the Peak District on 23 July.
- On 27 January 2021, the operators O2, Three and
Vodafone announced a new joint venture to build and
share 222 new mobile masts to boost rural coverage
across the United Kingdom and deliver the first stage
of the SRN. This programme of investment will increase
coverage in each of the UK nations - 124 new sites will
be built in Scotland, 33 in Wales, 11 in Northern
Ireland, and 54 in England, with each operator leading
on 74 of the new sites.
- On 23 February 2021 EE announced it will upgrade
more than 500 4G sites in 2021 as part of the SRN to
extend coverage in rural areas across the UK. This will
include 333 in England, 132 in Scotland, 76 in Wales,
and 38 in Northern Ireland.
