5G regulation and law in United Kingdom

• Non standalone (NSA) networks are primarily deployed by the MNOs, currently four  (EE, Three, Vodafone and 02) but soon to be three following recent approval of the merger between Vodafone and Three.  
  5G mobile availability has increased steadily through 2024 with MNO’s total coverage of premises ranging from 61% to 79%.  5G coverage outside premises from at least one MNO is now available to between 95%.  50% of UK handsets are now 5G capable;  23,100 5G sites are now operational, primarily in urban locations. 
  It should be noted that 25% of UK premises are covered by all operators and 2% of UK geography is covered by all operators; 93% of all premises are covered by one operator and 55% of geography is covered by at least one operator. 
  5G traffic has shown the highest growth from 151PB in 2023 to 227PB in 2024.  This represents around 21% of total monthly mobile traffic of which 14% is 5G SA. 
• 5G SA deployment has grown significantly, from approximately 2000 5G sites in calendar 2023 to 3300 in 2024, this being just below 15% of reported 5G sites and 14% of total 5G traffic. 
  However the majority of 5G mobile services are still being delivered in NSA mode. Sector regulator Ofcom is exploring ways in which NSA services can be reported on separately as mobile operatrors do not distinguish by mode when providing data to Ofcom. What is being done to ensure that a wide range of operators and industrial companies, from small to large, have access to frequencies?

By way of reminder, Ofcom’s remit is to ensure a wide range of different operators.  5G in the UK is primarily led by commercial MNOs.  However the Government confirmed in 2023 its commitment to open RAN, specifically for 35% of traffic to be carried over open RAN by 2030 and, while development remains limited with only 50 sites shared as of December 2024, growth of  the project will be monitored closely.  In addition the regulator notes that a diverse range of providers are now delivering 5G private mobile networks and that non-MNO entities are allowing a broader set of players to emerge.  

A variety of third-party players are increasingly contributing to the provision of infrastructure alongside the MNOs.  The third party players provide y passive infrastructure and comprehensive active infrastructure tailored for environments such as buildings, stadia and train stations.  In 2024 MNOs reported over 17,900 deployments on Neutral Host Infrastructure. 

The number of fully operational private 5G networks is less than 30 although this is 11 more than in 2023.  Ten of these operate over 5G SA, with just one using network slicing.  Non-MNO players, including network equipment vendors, and in the last twelve months systems integrators and specialist providers, continue to play an important role, using Shared Access licences introduced by the regulator since the 2023 report.  1,000 of these licences have been issued although the number has declined from 1,500 issued the year before; the majority of these are within the 3800 to 4200 MHz band (57%) with an additional 60 licences this year indicating an increase in 5G solutions. 

No change since 2023. 

No change since 2023.

No change since 2023.

No change since 2023

Ofcom has not pursued any failures by MNOs to comply with relevant obligations.  The only coverage obligations being policed relate to 4G where Three was in default as at September 2024. 

Ofcom’s Future Telecoms Structure Review identified “flexible, shared spectrum models” as one of  four priority areas needed to support investments and innovation in 5G and it resulted in the introduction of two new types of licences – Shared Access licences and Local Access licences.  both designed to support 5G roll-out.  The Shared Access licence framework was modified   in early December 2024 to make new licences available in low and medium power bands,  in 3.8 – 4.2 GHZ and also 1800MHZ.  The numbers of such licences have increased by over 10% in the past six months so there is a significant rate of growth. 

Ofcom has identified 3 bands for 5G: – 700MHz, 3.4 – 3.8GHz and so called mmWave.  The auction for mmWave will not take place until the beginning of 2025 following  approval of the Three/Vodafone merger.  Ofcom decided not to offer national licences for these frequencies, which will instead be allocated on a city-by-city basis in high-density areas and through Shared Access licences in low density areas.  This is likely to ensure a wide range of licencees (and therefore providers) going well beyond the existing MNO provider base.  

None 

The only spectrum sharing and network sharing agreements in place are in relation to 4G and the Shared Rural Network (SRN).  These are delivering 4G coverage levels of nearly 90%.

 In December 2021 the UK government confirmed its ambition that 35% of mobile traffic should be carried over open RAN by 2030.  In September 2023 they reaffirmed this.  However actual deployment is very limited with only 40 sites operational in 2024.  Mobile traffic on Open RAN has dropped by 30% over the last 12 months but the situation is being monitored.  Private networks are increasingly being leveraged by operators in many sectors of the economy including ports, sports arenas, media-event venues and others.  MNO engagement is limited with fewer than 30 to be fully operational private mobile networks.  

There are no specific 5G Network Sharing or Spectrum Sharing agreements in place.  There is also no focus for 5G sharing or spectrum sharing regulation other than the Shared Access licensing programme. 

There are no rules on the granting of access to competitors over new 5G or existing Networks; however there are certain commitments in the Vodafone/Three merger approval that will mean that M|VNOs are entitled to competitive access conditions for at least 36 months.

Through 2024 the Government stepped up its monitoring of network security and resilience under the Telecommunications Security Act.  Following guidance published in December 2022, the Government have been monitoring compliance with the security framework and has put in place obligations to report security compromises. This effort has resulted in three reports dated October 2023, January 2024 and March 2024 about high-risk vendors.  In addition, Statutory Guidance has been published and an evolving monitoring programme has been set out with deadlines set in the Telecommunications Security Code of Practice spanning 2024 to 2028.  Information is requested approximately every nine months with a six-month response period.  The first reporting cycle is now complete and the second round is awaiting responses in early 2025.  The DSIT Secretary of State has issued High Risk Vendor Monitoring Directions regarding the use of Huawei products and reports were supplied to the Secretary of State in October 2023, January 2024 and March 2024 with further reports due in 2025 and 2027 when further restrictions will be imposed on providers. 

Although 6G is still in its early stages the government is clear that important decisions will be made following critical pre-sinistration research and that 6G standard setting will have begun by the beginning of 2025.  The Government has committed GBP100m (USD 122.5m) to support R&D in relation to 6G and a GBP70m (USD 85.76m) for future telecommunications research.  This commitment forms part of the Global Coalition on Telecom with Australia, Canada, Japan and the US, which is working on, among other things, initiatives for the development of 6G.