News

The Conservatives: Good for Telecoms?

MSPs
The Conservatives have won the election in resounding fashion. Paul Carter, CEO of GWS, has written comment looking at what 5 more years of Conservatives means for the telecoms industry.

“While some will be dismayed that the Conservatives have not only remained in power, but have solidified their power in government, this should be good news for everyone who owns a mobile phone. The Tories have spent the last 5 years grappling with the state of our mobile networks and are working with network operators to ensure our mobile networks evolve fast enough to keep apace with our increasingly internet-connected lives.

From pushing for Wi-Fi on trains, laying the groundwork for 5G networks and reforming outdated legislation like the Electronic Communications Code, David Cameron’s Tories understands what needs to be done and now they have a flying start to fixing these problems over the next 5 years.

This does not mean that the Government is doing enough. Pushing operators to meet their target of 90% network coverage of UK landmass is good, but what is missing is an emphasis on quality and reliability of voice, text and data signal, and any sort of checks on mobile Internet speed. It is all well and good being able to get a signal, but if you are unable to hear the person on the other end of the line, is it really better than no signal at all? The Government is in a strong position to push network operators to create the best network for the UK and potentially one of the best networks in Europe.”