EXCLUSIVE: Government policy falls short of what is needed, critics of its current stance suggest.
Labour wants to better connect the UK (Image: Getty)
Britain’s plans for nationwide 5G will fall short unless ministers fix weak regulation, a cross-party group of MPs has warned. The representatives also want to see the Government aim to improve scrutiny of coverage data and tackle a lack of competition in the mobile market. The Digital Communities All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) says ministers should commission an “urgent, independent review of the UK’s digital connectivity framework, warning that current policy is being driven by incomplete data and poor accountability” in a new report.
The group added that reliable mobile connectivity is essential for economic growth, public services and productivity, and emphasised that too many communities remain stuck with poor signal, despite official claims that coverage is improving. Serious concerns about the accuracy of telecoms regulator Ofcom’s coverage reporting were raised.
MPs also warn that the system relies too heavily on modelling supplied by mobile operators themselves, which risks masking real-world problems experienced by households, businesses and emergency services.
Current policy is being driven by unaccountability and a lack of proper data, critics suggest (Image: Getty)
Helen Morgan MP, Chair of the Digital Communities APPG, said: “Without reliable access to high-speed services, the UK cannot achieve its economic ambitions or deliver inclusive growth. An urgent, independent review of the nation’s digital landscape is essential to restore trust, ensure transparency, and unlock the full potential of our economy.”
Alasdair Irvine, Director at Inglis Howie Property Consultants, said: “We represent site providers across the UK and are consistently seeing the same pattern emerge. The current telecoms legislation has dramatically shifted the balance of power in favour of operators, leaving site providers hosting vital mobile infrastructure facing steep rent reductions and declining asset values through no fault of their own.
This isn’t an isolated issue – it is becoming widespread – and unless the legislation is reviewed, more landowners will find themselves exposed to the same unfair treatment.”
The release of the document comes as epxerts are concerned about rents paid to hospitals, farmers and schools hosting 5G masts being slashed, in some cases by as much as 90%.
From April 2026, rules will be expanded to around 15,000 sites across the UK, reducing payments to landowners hosting mobile infrastructure, critics say.
Landowners and property experts have warned the reforms have already damaged trust and fuelled a surge in legal disputes.
More than 1,000 tribunal cases have been lodged since 2017, compared with just 33 in the previous three decades, The Express is told.
A DSIT spokesperson previously told The Express: “Our priority is to continue delivering high quality 5G networks across the UK, which is critical to boosting growth and improving public services for the British people.
“We want to ensure the measures to deliver the infrastructure the country needs to grow work for landowners, operators and communities, which is why we are now carefully considering the findings of a consultation we ran earlier this year on this issue.”
