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EE Push 5G
EE boss says UK needs policy overhaul to be the global 5G leader.
15:09 19 June 2017
Marc Allera, the CEO of UK mobile operator EE, said that unless vital changes are made to support the rollout of new telecom infrastructure, the UK risks falling behind other countries in launching the highly anticipated 5G technology.
He said: "We need regulation and support to speed up planning and make it easier to access sites. We experience landowners who charge ransom rents which makes it hard to provide connectivity. We are grappling with things that the gas and electricity sectors don't have to."
"Do we want to be 45th in the world to launch 5G or give ourselves a chance to be first and best?" he said. "That is what the UK deserves and it is vital it has the right policy and regulation that will enable and not stall innovation and investment in network infrastructure."
However, he hinted that 5G will launch in 2020 in the UK. "Data growth … will reach a point in 2020 where it will need 5G because customers are spending more time on the network with new applications and we'll need a more consistent connection," he said.