Weekly Wrap: Telecoms included as a key sector in UK industrial strategy

As I pored over the policy document, looking for any mention of spectrum, I couldn’t help but wonder whether people are losing interest in telecoms. Has 5G become too commonplace, 6G too esoteric? What the world seems to want from the digital sector today are data centres, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. All three feature prominently in this strategy paper.

But worry not: telecommunications is named as one of the six frontier technologies the UK government is betting on to boost the economy. It all falls under the umbrella of advanced connectivity technologies (ACT), which is a UK-specific definition for novel digital technologies, including non-terrestrial networksNon-terrestrial Networks (NTN) are wireles…, 6G, and the use of AI in communications. The government has pledged £370 million for communications technology research and development. The focus is on commercialisation and supporting UK businesses, which in turn should boost the economy.

As an example of homegrown connectivity innovation, the strategy features pureLiFi, a company that started at the University of Edinburgh 13 years ago. We spoke to co-founder Harald Haas for one of the early episodes of PolicyTracker‘s Spectrum Policy Podcast in 2023.

Market analysis conducted by Perspective Economics for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology this year determined that around a quarter of the UK telecoms sector activity fits in the ACT category and is potentially generating around £26.2 billion ($36 billion) in revenue in 2024. ACT is estimated to contribute £14.6 billion to the UK’s GDP by 2035. The strategy document also praises the high-quality research conducted in the UK.

The UK wants to deepen international cooperation on telecommunications ahead of the expected deployment of 6G in the 2030s. One way of doing this could be through the Global Coalition on Telecommunications, which consists of Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK and the US.

On the spectrum front, the targets are simple. The government aims to cooperate with other nations ahead of the next World Radiocommunication ConferenceThe World Radiocommunication Conference (W… in 2027 to ensure spectrum availability for advanced technologies, including space companies. Collaboration with the regulator, Ofcom, to promote efficient and innovative spectrum regulation is also mentioned.

The strategy is a sprawling document, even when focusing on a sector-specific paper. While it’s nice to be included, it’s difficult to gauge the significance of any one strategic goal and how these priorities might shape up over the next 10 years. 

Here’s what we’ve covered this week:

• Japanese operator Rakuten Mobile’s 5G launch in 1.7 GHz has been delayed. The operator says this is mainly down to insufficient coordination with vendors during 5G SA development and coordination.
• In journalism, “three is a trend”. We covered recent Slovakian, Spanish and German spectrum licensing decisions that highlight European MVNOs‘ demands for easier wholesale access.
• A new study has examined Starlink’s direct-to-device signal strength using crowdsourced data. Spectrum access may limit the company’s ability to expand its services.
• The European Commission is consulting on a 5G quality of service methodology. Read on to find out why the EU is making this change, and how the industry is reacting.
• Finland has notified the ITUThe International Telecommunication U… about localised Russian mobile network interference, and various other EU member states want the European Commission to take action against Russia and Belarus over GNSS interference which they say emanates from those countries.