Skip to main content

UK Policy Changes Required for Broadband

Can the UK catch up to the Asia-Pacific leadership of the global mobile phone market? Adjustments to the UK regulatory policy framework are required -- given the rapid adoption of mobile broadband services, according to an Ofcom commissioned report from Analysys Mason.

Their market study, which forms part of Ofcom's Mobile Sector Assessment consultation, considers the recent dramatic increases in data service usage, which could accelerate over the next five years, and this ubiquitous mobile broadband access may change the nature of the mobile proposition.

Widespread access to real Internet-based services from laptops and mobile handsets, as well as the development of new applications based around mobile IP connectivity, would offer considerable additional value to UK consumers and businesses.

"The current UK regulatory framework governing the delivery of mobile services was established to promote competition in infrastructure-based services that were delivered solely through mobile communications networks," says Mike Grant, partner at Analysys Mason.

"With users increasingly focussed on consumption of content across multiple networks, adjustments to the UK regulatory framework are likely to be required if the benefits of the emerging trends are to be fully realized."

The Analysys Mason report developed four possible scenarios for the evolution and development of the mobile industry over the next ten years. These scenarios, based on discussions with major industry players, provide insight into the dynamics of the sector and how different players in the value chain may fare under different assumptions.

Mobile broadband sales are now well in excess of 100,000 per month in the UK. This compares to monthly fixed broadband additions of 200,000 -- which were apparently declining in the first quarter of 2008.

Popular posts from this blog

How WLAN Transforms Industrial Automation

The industrial sector is on the eve of a wireless transformation, driven by an urgent demand for greater network capacity, reliability, and deterministic performance. Historically, manufacturers and mission-critical operations have relied on wired networks — favoring their predictability — because spectrum congestion in legacy 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands limited confidence in wireless for operational technology (OT) environments. However, with the introduction and rapid adoption of the 6GHz spectrum, compounded by significant advances in Wi-Fi standards, industrial facilities are now poised to embrace wireless LANs as the backbone for automation and digital innovation. Industrial WLAN Market Development Recent research from ABI Research forecasts that over 70 percent of industrial-grade wireless LAN access points (WLAN APs) shipped in 2030 will support the 6GHz band. This is a leap from 2 percent in 2023, highlighting a rapid and profound technological shift. The market for ruggedized indust...