Tuesday 8 March 2022

New laws connecting the countryside to 4G and 5G tech

The government is introducing new measures to ensure 4G services are available in the countryside and extend 5G infrastructure.

New laws will mean less phone masts will be required to extend 4G and 5G coverage throughout the UK, as telecommunications companies will now be able to upgrade existing infrastructure, instead of building from scratch.

Network operators can now make masts taller and wider than the current regulations allow; creating the extra room required for the new technology to be installed.

Protected areas such as national parks or world heritage sites will be preserved by stringent government rules on the visual impact of network equipment that mobile companies will have to follow.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said: “We’re changing the law to wipe out mobile ‘not spots’ and dial up the roll out of next generation 5G.

“Phone users across the country will benefit - whether they are in a city, village or on the road - and tighter rules on the visual impact of new infrastructure will ensure our cherished countryside is protected.”