May 2021
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference examined the next steps for the development of the UK mobile market and 5G services.
We were very pleased to be able to include keynotes sessions with Louise Lancaster, Head of Mobile & Spectrum Policy, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; and Brian Potterill, Director, Mobile Network Strategy, Ofcom; along with Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, Co-Director, Bristol Digital Futures Institute, and Director, Smart Internet Lab, University of Bristol.
Areas for discussion included:
- competition and latest market developments, including moves to diversify supply chains
- consumer habits and changing priorities, particularly in the context of the pandemic
- 5G rollout, spectrum allocation, and the evolving regulatory landscape
- innovation, infrastructure and investment
- coverage in rural and remote areas
- next steps for policy and regulation
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from DCMS; Ofcom; HMRC; the UK Space Agency; BEIS; Defra; the Department for the Economy, NI; DIT; the Government Legal Department; the Home Office; the National Crime Agency; the NCSC; The Scottish Government; and the Welsh Government.
The agenda:
- The UK mobile market - emerging trends and issues
- Mobile and the pandemic - changes in consumer behaviour and consumption, how operators are innovating their offerings, and priorities for improving customer experience
- Market dynamics and future growth - competition, service and support for consumers, and next steps for improving mobile coverage in remote areas
- Mobile market regulation in an evolving landscape
- Supporting innovation in services and technology - tackling the key challenges for rolling out 5G across the UK, encouraging investment, and priorities for spectrum allocation
- Next steps for policy, regulation and keeping the country connected
Key areas discussed:
- the mobile market - the changing landscape and key developments in the sector, including M&A activity and consolidation, and new services and devices
- consumers - the impact of changes in behaviour and consumption during the pandemic, and how operators have adapted:
- consumption and habits - what do increases, reported by Ofcom, in both mobile data and voice traffic compared to levels before the Spring lockdown mean for the market going forward
- service innovation - assessing the effect of changes to the offerings from operators during the pandemic
- corporate citizenship - how they have responded to consumer and societal needs, for example the offer of free data to disadvantaged families to support children with remote learning
- customer experience - including discussion of the ban on selling locked handsets, the push for greater consumer transparency, and enabling quick and easy provider switching
- competition:
- market dynamics - key developments, including M&A and consolidation, and what they mean for the industry, their customers, and overall sector growth
- developments in services and devices
- the supply chain - including:
- the Government’s 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy aimed at attracting new suppliers
- assessing opportunities following the withdrawal of Huawei involvement
- coverage in rural and remote areas:
- Shared Rural Network - progress and priorities for rollout, and what more needs to be done to improve mobile coverage in these areas
- priorities for infrastructure improvements in order to improve connectivity ahead of the rollout of 5G networks
- 5G rollout, spectrum allocation, the evolving regulatory landscape:
- tackling the key challenges of rolling out 5G - and the likely future for 700MHz and 3.6-3.8GHz bands following the results of the Principal Stage of the auction
- diversifying the 5G supply chain - key challenges and the Government’s strategy, which includes plans for:
- supporting incumbent suppliers
- attracting new suppliers into the UK market
- accelerating open-interface and interoperable technologies
- demonstrating practical applications of 5G - as well as wider innovation and technology priorities in the sector, and the evolving regulatory landscape
- funding - addressing the challenges of attracting investment into digital infrastructure such as 5G, and its role in tackling the digital divide
- next steps for policy and regulation
A scan of relevant developments:
- market dynamics, the impact of the pandemic and improving customer experience:
- Market structure, investment and quality in the mobile industry - Ofcom’s study on the impact of investment and service quality of competition in the sector
- Mobile firms to be banned from selling ‘locked’ handsets - part of measures announced by Ofcom in implementing the new European Electronic Communications Code
- CMA provisionally clears merger of Virgin and O2 - following initial concerns about a possible reduction in competition in wholesale services
- voice traffic usage - Ofcom, reporting up to a 45% increase in mobile voice traffic across operators when compared with the period leading up to the initial lockdown
- 5G usage - the EE Mobile Network Index report finding an increase of 40% month on month throughout October to December 2020
- Build Back Better: Our Plan for Growth - from the Government, along with the National Infrastructure Strategy, including:
- £5bn to accelerate UK-wide gigabit broadband roll-out
- a Shared Rural Network extending 4G mobile coverage to 95% of the UK
- £250m to ensure resilient and secure 5G networks
- £50m for the continuation of the 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme in 2021-22
- key issues for regulation, 5G rollout and supporting technology and innovation:
- Award of 700 MHz and 3.6-3.8 GHz spectrum by auction - commenced by Ofcom:
- aimed at increasing the amount of spectrum available for mobile technology in the UK by nearly a fifth
- EE, Vodafone, Hutchison 3G UK Limited and Telefónica UK Limited were all successful in the auction
- Consultation: Supporting the UK’s wireless future - Our spectrum management strategy for the 2020s - from Ofcom on their approach to supporting wireless innovation and spectrum sharing
- 5G market diversification and wider lessons for critical and emerging technologies - report by the House of Commons Science and Technology committee stating that the Government’s decision to ban Huawei from 5G networks has left the UK overly reliant on a small group of 5G technology suppliers, causing delays in rollouts and adding costs
- 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy - from the Government, with an initial investment of £250m for implementation, the delivery and implementation of the strategy is guided by the Telecoms Diversification Task Force
- Superfast Broadband Programme - State Aid Evaluation Report 2020 - the DCMS-commissioned independent study finding that the Government’s Superfast Broadband Programme has secured faster connections for 5.5m homes and businesses, and created significant economic and social benefits since roll out
- Broadband and the road to 5G - the DCMS Committee report, including calls for the Government to do more to ensure that rural and remote areas do not get left behind
- £28m to trial innovative new uses of 5G to improve people’s lives - joint government-business investment in projects including 5G-powered cargo ports, as well as visitor experiences at the O2 Arena, MK Dons stadium, and the Eden Project
Policy officials who attended:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders. Attendees included parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons, and officials from BEIS; Defra; the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; the Department for International Trade; the Department for the Economy, NI; the Government Legal Department; HM Revenue and Customs; Home Office; the National Crime Agency; the National Cyber Security Centre; Ofcom; the UK Space Agency; The Scottish Government; and the Welsh Government.
