The UK’s mobile operators have taken aim at some of the planning policies currently in place as telcos aim to keep pace with network infrastructure rollout.. Both VodafoneThree and Virgin Media O2 highlighted this issue during Connected Britain this week, claiming that planning restrictions have hindered the rollout of newer technologies, such as 5G.. – Paul Lipscombe.
It comes after an Ookla report earlier this year showed that just 45.2 percent of the UK’s population has 5G availability, ranking the country near the bottom of the 30 countries recorded. For comparison, Denmark, which sits at the top of that list, has 83.9 percent 5G coverage..
While the UK telcos launched 5G back in 2019, the emergence of 5G Standalone (5G SA), in particular in more recent years, has heralded faster speeds and increased capacity, with all three of the UK’s MNOs rolling out 5G SA (now dubbed 5G+) at pace.. However, telcos have bemoaned the pace at which they are able to do this, with some pointing to UK planning regulations as obstacles to this growth..
“Today, in order to upgrade a rooftop site, you can only have a height of six meters (19 feet). If you put additional antennas because of the additional technology, we need to increase that by a few meters. We’re saying allow us to increase it to eight meters,” said Andrea Donà, chief network officer, VodafoneThree..
He argues that such height limits are hindering new technologies, while pointing out that ground-based masts need to expand to 25 or 30 meters (82-98 feet), from the existing 20 meters (66 feet).. Indeed, he wasn’t the only one critical of planning regulations.. “I do think that there are structural barriers,” said Wendy Shearer, head of public affairs, Virgin Media O2.
“I do think that the planning regime has been a significant structural barrier to the fast deployment of 5G networks, in particular, needing higher, wider masts.”. Is low ARPU stifling investment?. The attitude towards mobile carriers has also changed over the years, with telcos now increasingly being seen as a utility provider..
This has been reflected in the average revenue per user (ARPU) metric, which measures how much each customer spends on average with a network operator.. VodafoneThree’s average ARPU sits at less than £20 ($27.06) per month, less than half what it would have been in the days of 3G, the network claims..
“We are running to stand still, and we are in a highly, highly competitive market where consumer pricing has been very stable and low,” said Shearer.. George Robinson, head of government affairs at VodafoneThree, added that ARPU in the US is significantly higher, which makes it easier to draw a return on the investment in 5G..
From a regulatory standpoint, Ofcom appears to be trying to find the right balance between affordability and generating returns for the country’s main telcos.. “We talk increasingly about performance and the capability of networks, and there is an acceptance that we need to provide a full investment in this culture. So there’s a very fine line to draw between affordability and that low investment approach, and that’s exactly what we’re working on at the moment,” said Andy Sutton MBE, director of technology and mobile, at UK communications regulator Ofcom..
Sutton added that Ofcom is looking at whether a change in legislation can help operators bridge this gap.. “I do think we’re broadening the conversation. People increasingly want to do more with the devices. Of course, it’s still vital we have coverage; we should have coverage everywhere,” he said..
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