Call for evidence outcome

Wireless Infrastructure Strategy: call for evidence

Updated 17 November 2021

Ministerial foreword

The government is committed to making the United Kingdom a global leader in digital connectivity. Most of us have had our lives, our ways of working and of socialising, dramatically changed over the last year. The importance of connectivity has never been clearer. It has been a lifeline, keeping society functioning this past year and will be critical to delivering this government's levelling up agenda as well as driving the pandemic recovery and ensuring we meet our net zero ambitions.

We are already making excellent progress in the deployment of wireless connectivity. 91% of the UK landmass is covered by a good 4G signal from at least one operator. 5G rollout is well underway and this government will ensure consumers and businesses across the length and breadth of the UK see the benefits of secure, resilient wireless connectivity as fast as possible.

Over the next decade, wireless networks will evolve significantly and will become woven into the fabric of life in the UK. This government knows the potential of wireless technology for our manufacturing, health, social care, transport, and many other sectors. Unlocking this potential right across the UK is a top priority for this government.

That is why my department is developing the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy. The Strategy will set out a strategic framework for the development, deployment and adoption of 5G and future networks in the UK over the next decade. It will articulate a clear vision for how advanced wireless infrastructure can become an integral part of the fabric of the UK's economy and society by 2030 and make a significant contribution to growth and prosperity.

Through this call for evidence I hope to understand from industry, investors, consumers and academics what wireless connectivity the UK will need over the next decade and what more needs to be done to deliver it. I would encourage everyone to respond to this call for evidence and help us deliver world class connectivity to the UK.<br

Julia Lopez MP
Minister of State

Policy context

Wireless Infrastructure Strategy: a vision for 2030

Digital infrastructure underpins the UK’s economic and social activity. Communications networks are central to the way we live and work. They enable us to do business, keep in touch and access a vast range of services across the digital economy.

World-class digital infrastructure will be crucial to unlocking new opportunities for growth and prosperity, and delivering the government’s key objectives including levelling up, building back better, net zero and Global Britain.

Through the 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR) ^{[footnote 1]} and, subsequently the 2020 National Infrastructure Strategy,^{[footnote 2]} the government set out clear policies to transform the UK’s telecoms infrastructure through the deployment of fixed and wireless networks.

The Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review

The Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review set a clear framework for the deployment of fixed and mobile networks. Its key proposals included:

• making it easier and cheaper to deploy gigabit and 5G networks by addressing barriers to deployment
• stable and long-term regulation that incentivises competitive network investment and supporting the growth of infrastructure models that promote competition and investment in network densification and extension
• an ‘outside in’ approach to gigabit deployment
• funding beneficial use cases through the £200 million 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme
• promoting new, innovative 5G services from existing and new players, through the release of additional spectrum

These policies are working: since the publication of the FTIR, half of UK premises now have gigabit-capable broadband,^{[footnote 3]} up from just 6% in 2018.^{[footnote 4]} The government’s ambition is that this will increase to 85% by 2025 and, through Project Gigabit and other measures to accelerate rollout, be as close to 100% as possible.

Significant progress is being made in rolling out wireless connectivity. In March 2020, the government announced a deal with the mobile network operators to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass, up from 91% of the UK landmass in March 2020. The government’s ambition is for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027 and at time of publication 5G services are available in more than 385 towns and cities across the UK.

By 2030 we will see major changes across the telecoms landscape. Data consumption will continue to grow exponentially and today’s suppliers and network operators will be challenged as technology converges, software plays an increasing role in networks and more services and devices move online. Satellite networks could play a role in increasing network coverage in hard to reach areas.

We expect the most significant evolution to be in wireless networks. By 2030 these networks will need to enable and connect billions of devices, supporting critical applications across a range of sectors - including education, transport, logistics, healthcare, public safety and defence.

It is therefore essential that the UK is positioned to maximise the potential of advanced wireless networks by 2030. That is why the government is developing a Wireless Infrastructure Strategy. The Strategy will:

• articulate a clear vision for how wireless infrastructure can become an integral part of the fabric of the UK’s economy by 2030 and make a significant contribution to the government’s growth and levelling up agendas
• anticipate the UK’s overall wireless connectivity needs for the next decade, assessing how these will be met
• establish a clear evidence base to determine what role the government should play in supporting investment in wireless infrastructure; and by doing so
• introduce a new policy framework to encourage innovation, competition and investment in 5G and future networks, including 6G

The government intends to publish the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy in 2022.

Call for evidence

DCMS is launching a call for evidence to understand in detail:

• the future wireless connectivity needs of the UK
• the extent to which the UK market is likely to be able to meet those needs by 2030
• how the regulatory and policy framework can best continue to support investment, competition, innovation and adoption of wireless infrastructure
• how the government can support the development and deployment of future wireless networks, including 6G

Further context on these issues is provided in the next section in order to aid detailed responses from stakeholders to the questions at Chapter 2. We are also keen to understand how other countries are approaching the development and deployment of wireless infrastructure to enable us to identify best practice and areas, particularly around the deployment of 5G and development of 6G, where the UK could collaborate with like-minded countries.

This call for evidence seeks responses from a wide range of interested parties, including fixed and mobile network operators and service providers, academics, the public, consumer interest groups and businesses and their trade associations.

We strongly encourage all interested parties to submit ideas on the issues above, and to provide evidence and data to support their views. In addition, DCMS will work with key stakeholders as part of an open process of engagement to support the call for evidence. We will use responses to this call for evidence to inform the development of the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy and its policy recommendations.

This call for evidence will run for six weeks, closing on 2 December 2021.

Scope of the call for evidence

This call for evidence covers wireless infrastructure for communications services - communications between people, businesses and machines. The primary focus of this call for evidence is on services provided over cellular mobile networks. However, we will also consider the role of other wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi as well as the use of satellite communications services, mesh networks, private networks and so on. There may be, for example, use cases or applications which will utilise numerous types of connectivity or where users have the choice between a few suitable connectivity solutions. We would welcome views on this.

The government’s strategy for the telecoms supply chain has been set through the Diversification Strategy,^{[footnote 5]} published in December 2020. We will take into account the recommendations of the Diversification Taskforce when developing the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy.

The government’s firm view is that the policy framework set out in the FTIR and the National Infrastructure Strategy for the deployment of fixed networks over the next decade remains the right one. The Wireless Infrastructure Strategy is not considering any changes or amendments to that framework.

Over the coming decade, we expect new, innovative applications for wireless connectivity will develop across a range of sectors such as education, health and social care, transport, entertainment, manufacturing, logistics and energy distribution. These applications will integrate wireless connectivity even further into our economy and society and offer the opportunity for improvements in public services and boosting productivity. Some of these new applications may require more pervasive network coverage, additional network capacity, or improved quality and reliability. Wireless connectivity has the potential to drive economic growth in rural areas. We therefore welcome responses focusing on the particular connectivity needs of rural communities.

Through this call for evidence, we are looking to gather evidence of what UK connectivity needs will be in the period to 2030. We welcome this evidence focusing on specific applications or technologies that will require wireless connectivity as well as evidence on the type of applications or technologies that different types of wireless connectivity can support.

The FTIR set out a clear framework for the deployment of wireless connectivity and innovation in 5G. Following the publication of the FTIR, the government has put in place a number of interventions that have accelerated wireless infrastructure deployment. Government and industry are investing £1 billion to significantly reduce 4G coverage ‘not spots’ through the Shared Rural Network programme. We are working towards making changes to the Electronic Communications Code and updating Permitted Development Rights to make it easier to extend and upgrade mobile networks. Through the £5 billion Project Gigabit programme we are providing crucial infrastructure to support the deployment of wireless networks.

We have also invested £200 million to drive telecoms innovation in the UK, via the 5G Testbeds and Trials programme (5GTT). Through 5GTT, we are building the business case for investment in 5G use cases, helping to establish our global leadership in these areas, and supporting industry, academic and local authorities to realise the benefits that 5G can bring.

The government’s approach remains that we should put in place the right policy and regulatory framework to encourage competitive markets to deliver wireless infrastructure commercially across as many areas of the UK as possible and to support innovation in wireless networks. In particular, investment in the deployment of 5G networks should be led by the private sector, but we recognise there is an important role for the government to play in ensuring that the conditions are in place to encourage this investment.

In the first instance, we are seeking evidence on whether the market will meet the government’s ambition for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G network by 2027. However we are also keen to understand in detail how 5G and other types of wireless connectivity will be deployed in the next decade. We would therefore be grateful for responses that focus on:

• population coverage that will be achieved by 2027 and 2030
• geographic coverage, including transport corridors, that will be achieved by 2027 and 2030
• the types of wireless infrastructure that will provide this coverage (i.e. standalone or non-standalone 5G, satellite networks, WiFi and connectivity for the internet of things and machine-to-machine communications) and how this will evolve to 2030
• the capacity, reliability and speed of wireless networks deployed in the next decade, will these be sufficient to cater for the UK’s connectivity needs and will these needs be met by the market without further interventio.

We would particularly welcome responses on these issues that are accompanied by supporting data.

Through this call for evidence, we also want to understand how we can ensure the regulatory and policy framework best continue to support investment, competition and innovation in wireless infrastructure. This includes, but is not limited to, issues such as:

• what further actions the government can take to accelerate network deployment or improve the economics of deployment
• whether any changes are required to the legislation relating to the management of spectrum use; and
• lessons that can be learned from other countries’ interventions to support investment, competition and innovation in wireless networks.

As noted above, we expect significant developments to take place in the telecoms market in the period to 2030. Most relevant for wireless networks will be:

• the continued growth of so-called ‘over the top’ content services
• merger and acquisition activity in the market and the emergence of new entrants
• the convergence of fixed and mobile networks and services
• changes to network design such as the move to virtualisation, softwarisation and open networks

We are particularly interested to understand, as far as is currently possible, the impact these and any other key trends could have on investment and competition and what the role could be for government in responding to these.

Finally, widespread take up of advanced wireless networks by businesses and consumers will boost productivity of UK businesses, grow the UK’s economy and increase social prosperity. 5GTT has made significant strides in proving the use cases and business case for 5G. We are now seeking to understand how government could further encourage adoption of wireless networks.

Wireless technologies will continue to evolve over the next decade. The UK did not take a leading role in the development of 5G standards. This has placed us on the back foot in several areas - the issues with reliance on overseas vendors are a key part of this, and the Supply Chain Diversification Strategy is taking forward work to address this. The government is therefore considering how we can support the development of future wireless networks, referred to as 6G.

Work is also ongoing to scope out the potential to develop a distinct UK capability in critical emerging technologies that are essential for underpinning future networks.

Just as 4G eventually delivered the data-driven services promised by 3G, 6G is expected to deliver the ultra-connected world promised, but not yet delivered, by 5G. The Internet of Things will expand and become more advanced; real-time AI could transform robotics; and it will be possible to speak to people in real time using VR, with wearable sensors giving the sensation of being in the same room together. This could bring huge benefits, both in industry application and in support of public policy objectives.

At the same time, 6G must enable nations to tackle the important societal challenges of the next decade, including energy efficiency, digital inclusion, future transport networks and access to healthcare. It is envisaged that 6G could helpwill be able to deliver widespread or ubiquitous coverage through use of lower spectrum frequency, through, for example, improvements in satellite technology or and intelligent surfaces capable of reflecting electromagnetic signals.

Research in these areas has already begun in the UK and globally. We want to use this call for evidence to understand further how the government can influence the development of future telecoms networks, including 6G, in a way that aligns with our wider policy goals and maximises the economic and social benefits for the UK.

We want to understand how the government can:

• drive the development of 6G in a way that meets our future connectivity needs
• ensure that UK mobile industry is incentivised to invest in 6G
• ensure that the legal and regulatory framework is fit for purpose to support future wireless innovation

Through this call for evidence we hope to identify the policy outcomes that should drive our future networks strategy. By way of example, these could include:

• widespread coverage, to prevent the unintended manifestation of a ‘digital divide’ and to contribute to improved health and social care outcomes and future transport ambitions
• seamless connectivity between a ‘network of networks’ – integrating of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.
• efficient use of spectrum – the UK is already pioneering research into spectrum sharing techniques and techniques to achieve spectrum efficiency gains through equipment such as antennas, including through the use of AI, as well as research into intelligent/ reflective materials to boost the distance a radio wave can cover. The UK has an opportunity to lead the world in innovation in spectrum efficiency and spectrum management.
• ensuring security and resilience is at the heart of the development of future networks

Our future networks strategy will encourage collaboration between government, academics, and the telecoms industry. The mobile industry and particularly the UK’s national mobile network operators will have a key role to play in shaping the development of 6G in the UK. Collaboration with international partners will also be key to ensuring 6G develops in a way that delivers our policy goals and builds UK strength in key areas.

Through this call for evidence we are particularly keen to understand how the government can work effectively with academics and the private sector to maximise the benefits from investment in research and development in relation to 6G and future telecoms networks.

Call for evidence questions

We would encourage respondents to consider the full range of wireless technologies outlined at paragraph 1.15 above when answering these questions.

1. What wireless connectivity will the UK require by 2030 in order to support the needs of consumers, businesses and public services? Please consider the type of wireless connectivity as well as the geographic or sector-related coverage, quality and capacity that will be required.

2. What are the applications and future requirements that will drive this demand? For example, to what extent will sectors like transport, education and healthcare rely on the availability of wireless connectivity in 2030?

3. What wireless connectivity is the market on track to deliver by 2030 in terms of geographic coverage, quality, capacity.
   
   a). How far will 5G coverage extend by 2027?
   b). To what extent will network capacity keep up with increasing consumer demand for data and network capacity or will the quality of experience vary in certain environments?
   c). How will the market for wireless connectivity for businesses and the Internet of Things and machine-to-machine communications develop?
   d). What roles are non-mobile technologies likely to play in the provision of advanced wireless connectivity? These could include such as satellite, fixed wireless access and WiFi (public and indoor) networks.

4. What data sources should be used to report 4G and 5G coverage in the next reporting periods?
   
   a). How should ‘good’ wireless connectivity, and specifically 5G, coverage be defined?

5. How might the market structure for wireless connectivity services change over the next decade and what impact would these changes have on investment in wireless networks?
   
   a). What effect are existing and projected revenue streams and predicted returns likely to have on operator investment plans?
   b). Is there an opportunity for new market entrants?

6. How can the regulatory and policy framework best continue to support the development and deployment of wireless infrastructure? Please provide specific, evidence based suggestions.
   
   a). How can government encourage continued investment and innovation in wireless networks?
   b). How can government encourage continued take up of wireless networks by businesses and consumers?
   c). Is the current regulatory framework, including on spectrum, suitable to support new competitive models?
   d). How can government support the deployment of energy-efficient wireless networks?

7. What should government consider when designing a policy and regulatory framework to support the development of new wireless technologies?
   
   a). Is the current policy and regulatory framework suitable? If not, what changes are required?
   b). What spectrum is required for future wireless networks? Is the current spectrum management framework suitable for delivering this?

8. What can the UK learn about the development and deployment of wireless networks in other countries?
   
   a). What has been the impact on the respective 5G deployments of other countries’ spectrum management frameworks, interventions to remove economic barriers to deployment and measures to improve 5G demand and adoption?
   b). What will be the impact of other countries’ activities and investments in 6G on i) the 6G standards setting process; and ii) development and deployment of 6G in their own countries.

How to respond

Submissions of evidence should be emailed to wirelessinfrastructurestrategy@dcms.gov.uk by 2 December 2021.

We would encourage submissions of over 6 pages to be accompanied by an executive summary.

This call for evidence is intended to be an entirely written exercise. Please contact enquiries@dcms.gov.uk if you require any other format, e.g. braille or large font.

Information provided in response to this call for evidence, including personal information, may be published or disclosed in accordance with the access to information regimes (primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR)). If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please be aware that, under the FOIA, there is a statutory Code of Practice with which public authorities must comply and which deals, amongst other things, with obligations of confidence.

In view of this it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department.

The department will process the information you have provided in accordance with the DPA, and in the majority of cases, this will mean that your personal information will not be disclosed to third parties.

1. Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review ↩

2. CP 329 – National Infrastructure Strategy – Fairer, faster, greener – November 2020 ↩

3. Check UK Broadband Performance and Coverage Statistics ↩

4. Ofcom, Connected Nations, 2018 ↩

5. Home 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy ↩