Senior industry executives are warning that the UK risks falling behind in the global artificial intelligence race due to sluggish progress in upgrading essential telecommunications infrastructure. While much of the recent focus on AI has centered on the construction of datacentres and securing the energy and water resources required to power them, experts argue that the nation’s broadband and mobile networks are ill-prepared for the immense volume of AI-related traffic expected from businesses and consumers.
Although the UK has successfully moved past its previous reputation for having some of Europe’s slowest broadband speeds through the widespread rollout of full-fibre connections by BT’s Openreach and other providers, 5G mobile network upgrades are failing to keep pace. A recent report from the consumer group Which?, utilizing data from Opensignal, indicates that UK mobile coverage currently ranks behind every other G7 nation and all 27 EU member states.
The analysis further reveals that the UK sits 57th globally for overall network performance, 70th for download speeds, and 55th for the reliable quality necessary for gaming, streaming, and video conferencing. Andrea Donà, networks director at VodafoneThree—the UK’s largest mobile operator—expressed frustration with the current state of connectivity. He noted that if current services are already sub-optimal, the strain will only intensify once mass AI usage becomes standard.
Donà compared the potential for an AI-traffic crunch to the signal loss often experienced by crowds at major public events like the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, rugby internationals at Twickenham, or concerts at Wembley. He warned that such sporadic connectivity issues could become a permanent reality for users as AI integration increases. Another industry executive described the situation as a looming national competitiveness issue, cautioning that while the intersection of AI and connectivity is currently in its infancy, it will eventually mirror the challenges faced during the slow rollout of full-fibre broadband.
To address these capacity concerns, major operators are committing significant capital to 5G stand-alone technology, with VodafoneThree alone pledging £11 billion to modernize its masts. However, industry leaders claim that progress is being stifled by bureaucratic hurdles. Donà clarified that the primary challenge is not the construction of new sites, but rather the restrictive regulations governing the upgrade of existing infrastructure. VodafoneThree plans to reduce its total number of masts by 30%, yet more than half of the upgrades required for its remaining sites are subject to lengthy planning permission processes.
Industry advocates are calling for urgent planning reform, suggesting it represents a low-cost growth policy that requires no government funding. Donà suggested that streamlining these regulations could serve as a significant early achievement for the new prime minister. Furthermore, operators argue that despite being classified as critical national infrastructure, they are not currently granted the same business rate and energy reliefs provided to other essential sectors like water and energy providers. The report also notes that and to ensure they have access to the huge water and energy supplies required to cool and supply the computational power to train and run AI models, the infrastructure AI race has centred on the need to build datacentres. The report also notes that i am embarrassed today at the level of quality of our network[s]. The report also notes that “What we see now only with a mass aggregation of people is a proxy, an indication of the things that will come. The report also notes that that [one-off] experience will be constant because of the additional capacity [consumers] will need in an AI world.”. The report also notes that “Things are going to change massively with the next wave of devices, in two or three years when AI is integrated into everything,” he said. The report also notes that but more than half of those will require some form of planning permission, which companies say can be a lengthy and bureaucratic process, about 96% of the upgrades VodafoneThree need to make are on existing sites.
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