BT 5G Deployment

BT wants mobile operators to have equal and open access to street furniture by paying a low-cost, flat fee to the local authority.

21:56 15 April 2019

BT wants to put an end to council agreements that provide exclusive access to council-owned furniture, such as lampposts and CCTV poles when deploying 5G. The firm said that the current concessions model, which requires mobile operators to pay a wholesale fee to the company with exclusive rights, increases deployment costs and will discourage investment in 5G. It added that the new Electronic Communications Code, which came into force in December 2017, nullifies such exclusivity agreements.

 

 

 

Henry Kippin, WMCA Director of Public Service Reform, said: “The timing and spirit of this Open Access initiative is ideal as we will make faster progress through operators and public services working together to a shared agenda so that 5G can fulfil its full potential in driving economic growth that can benefit all our diverse communities. We are looking forward to welcoming authorities from across the UK and all the mobile operators who will come together and set out a new way of working together.”