The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, published a new standard agreement to help clarify terms between commercial landlords, public property owners and mobile providers.
Khan hopes the template will speed up service deployment, address poor areas of mobile phone coverage and help pave the way for 5G.
The Electronic Communications Code, which regulates the legal relationship between landowners/occupiers and operators and was updated in 2017 to smooth the way for the implementation of 5G, but reports suggested it had created more confusion than clarity.
Theo Blackwell, London’s Chief Digital Officer, said in May that the Code was ambiguously worded and lacked practical guidance, and lawyers said legal disputes were clogging up the system.
Londoners currently use 38 million gigabytes of mobile data – a fifth of all the mobile data in the UK. Each year the amount of data used rises by an estimated 25% to 42%. Connectivity ratings provider WiredScore estimates that 500,000 masts and boosters will be needed for 5G across London alone.
Standardised agreements an ‘essential step’
The standard agreement backs up Mayor Khan’s manifesto commitment to better use public sector property for digital connectivity, and forms part of his Connected London programme, which aims to enhance mobile and fixed fibre connectivity in London through investment, new data and working with local authorities.
Catherine Haslam, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Telecoms Forum Board commented, “Standardised access agreements are an essential step towards easing issues and delay in the telecommunications infrastructure development process, and removing mobile ‘not spots’ will crucially provide high speed services to owners, occupiers and the public. The imminent arrival of 5G technologies makes this initiative even more timely.”
The agreement has been developed in partnership with the British Standards Institution, with the support of City of London, and a steering committee made up of legal representatives of land-owners and from the telecommunications sector.
Ending uncertainty
Theo Blackwell, London’s Chief Digital Officer said, “Today good mobile coverage is an expectation for all those who live, work or visit London. This guidance is part of the Mayor’s commitment to enhance mobile and fixed connectivity in the capital. It helps end uncertainty which has stopped or slowed infrastructure being put in place across London with a new, consistent approach.
“At City Hall we are working to ensure we have the digital connectivity infrastructure needed through our new Connected London programme, to support Londoners in areas of poor connectivity and assist the future roll out of 5G, which will hugely benefit businesses and the public alike.”
Hamish MacLeod, Director at trade body Mobile UK, added, “Mobile UK welcomes these standard template agreements, which result from partnership between landowners, operators and other stakeholders, all of whom recognise the vital importance of mobile connectivity to the future prosperity of London and the UK more generally.”