Delivering a secure, reliable nationwide high-capacity mobile network will bring “enormous” value to consumers and businesses, fuelling the UK economy as well as a broad range of social and environmental benefits for the UK, according to a study published by BT Group.
The report Driving growth: the £230bn opportunity of improved mobile networks, developed in collaboration with Assembly Research, calculates that such networks could realise as much as £230bn in economic benefits by 2035.
As a result, it calls for UK government to support accelerated mobile network deployment by reforming planning laws and significantly increasing the availability of spectrum to ensure consumers and businesses have access to the best possible mobile networks and to underpin UK economic growth and innovation.
BT Group commissioned Assembly Research to model the economic and/or social benefits to the UK that could be delivered by addressing low mobile network quality through different investment options. These options included improvements to road and rail coverage, better network resilience, and enhanced coverage and capacity in rural areas.
One of the key findings was that improved 5G standalone (5GSA) coverage could enable more than £88bn in economic growth through the industrial adoption of new technologies, such as AI and machine learning. By their nature, 5GSA networks can deliver significant increases in network capacity to UK society, enterprises and public sector users, particularly through the ability to provide dedicated bandwidth and advanced specifications to individual users.
BT’s report estimated that this will bring positive impact to a broad range of areas in the UK, including road and rail, the rural economy and built-up areas. It said investing to improve rail coverage could result in £12bn in additional productivity by 2035, while improving road connectivity to 100% coverage could result in a £45bn opportunity for the UK through enabling autonomous vehicles. Additionally, the report suggested that investing in improved 4G and 5GSA coverage could add as much as £3bn into the UK’s rural economy by 2035.
In built-up areas, the survey calculates that as well as the potential £88bn in growth from new technologies, improved 5GSA coverage could enable as much as £26bn of added economic value from accelerated drone adoption by 2035. In the same timeframe, an added £9.5bn could be unlocked for the UK’s broadcast, digital advertising and consumer media sectors.
The findings also highlight that if more reliable UK mobile networks were available, increased use of mobile backup options could become more attractive for some businesses. The research shows a further £37bn of benefits could be unlocked through supporting the modernisation of the energy grid.
BT believes that doubling the take-up of these options would result in recovery of around £7.9bn in productivity because of reduced downtime.
“The way we use mobile connectivity is evolving, and as the demands on network capacity increase and retail pricing remains comparatively low, greater support is needed to unlock more private sector investment,” said BT Group chief security and networks officer Howard Watson.
“To deliver the networks the nation needs for the future, we need greater collaboration with the government and regulator, as well as support from local communities and councils – so that everyone in the UK can reap the life-changing benefits connectivity brings. Reforming planning laws and opening spectrum access would help accelerate the deployment of these critical networks.”
Matthew Howett, founder and CEO of Assembly Research, added: “Improved mobile connectivity supports increased productivity on rail journeys, reduced downtime from outages and the adoption of a range of emerging technologies. As the government continues to work on executing its agenda for economic growth, our modelling shows that investment in mobile connectivity delivers significant benefits across the whole of the UK.”
