UK risks falling behind in AI race without faster telecoms upgrades, say executives

Senior industry executives warn that the UK's risk of falling behind in the global AI race is exacerbated by slow 5G upgrades and planning delays. The infrastructure needed to support AI involves building data centers with access to water and energy supplies for cooling and powering AI models. While the UK has improved its broadband speeds compared to previous levels, 5G mobile network upgrades are lagging behind rival nations.

According to a recent report by consumer group Which?, the UK ranks 57th globally in network performance, 70th in download speeds, and 55th in network reliability, all behind other EU and G7 countries. Andrea Donà, networks director at VodafoneThree, the UK's largest mobile operator, expressed embarrassment over the quality of the country's network and called for reform.

He likened the situation to consumers experiencing signal loss at major events, which will become constant as AI adoption increases. Another executive highlighted that while the AI and connectivity issue is currently "nascent," it will become a "national competitiveness issue" in the next few years as AI integrates into everyday devices.

Despite investing heavily in 5G stand-alone technology, mobile operators argue that planning delays and restrictive regulations are hindering their ability to upgrade existing network sites, which account for about 96% of the necessary upgrades. They argue that planning reform could be a low-cost growth policy to help the government and UK economy, and could serve as a first 100-day win for the new prime minister.