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Slash taxes to boost Britain’s 5G coverage, Starmer urged

Slash taxes to boost Britain’s 5G coverage, Starmer urged

A new report from Assembly Research, commissioned by trade body Mobile UK, accused ministers of overlooking the mobile industry in the recent Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and called for reforms in the upcoming 10-year infrastructure strategy.

While much of the focus in recent years has been on broadband infrastructure,the report said ministers had done “relatively little to move the needle” for mobile operators.

The report said: “Investment in fast and reliable mobile networks is crucial to the UK’s plans to harness the power of AI and transform public services, including the NHS. It is therefore time the Government turns its messaging into action.”

Why Britain’s broadband revolution is at risk from Spanish socialists

Why Britain’s broadband revolution is at risk from Spanish socialists

After pouring billions into full-fibre broadband in the era of low interest rates, many investors are now starting to apply the brakes.

“I don’t think a pause is necessarily a bad thing,” says Matthew Howett, the chief executive of Assembly Research.

“Particularly at the moment, with the heat in the market and the race to the bottom with a £20 offer for full-fibre broadband, ultimately I don’t think it’s going to help anyone in the long term.”

Howett suggests Telefónica boss Murtra may simply be using a recent strategic review as leverage. “To me it feels like he is using this as a bit of an opportunity to get something from government to help the industry’s cause,” he says.

Octopus and Revolut set sights on UK mobile market disruption

Octopus and Revolut set sights on UK mobile market disruption

James Robinson, senior analyst at Assembly Research, said the trend followed well-known brands such as Tesco and Sky launching successful mobile operations that targeted existing customers with bundled packages which also included services such as broadband.

Robinson said he thought more than a quarter of all consumers could be using virtual providers by 2028 — up from 16.5 per cent in 2024.  “If [Octopus and Revolut] do launch operations, those big names could accelerate that growth,” he added. 

Spanish electricity blackout drives use of Elon Musk’s Starlink

Spanish electricity blackout drives use of Elon Musk’s Starlink

While the scale of Spain’s outage was unlike anything the country has experienced before, increasing extreme weather events are prompting governments to focus more on the resilience of telecoms networks.

In Norway, operators must fund battery backup of two hours in cities and four hours in rural areas. Australia has introduced publicly funded grants for operators to provide 12 hours of battery backup to sites in some remote areas.

The causes of the Spanish blackout remain undetermined but its scale was likely to be “a clarion call for government and regulators to pay attention to resilience,” said Grace Nelson, an analyst at Assembly Research, a UK based research company.

Britons could make satellite calls using smartphones by end of 2025

Britons could make satellite calls using smartphones by end of 2025

James Robinson, senior analyst at Assembly Research, said “direct-to-device” services would be an important part of finishing the “connectivity puzzle” but cautioned that they would “not be able to replicate traditional 4G and 5G networks”.

The UK is the first country in Europe to move ahead with D2D authorisation, while the EU is consulting on similar proposals until the end of the month. Similar services are already available in the US, Canada and Australia.

UK regulator says plan for competitive broadband market by 2031 on track

UK regulator says plan for competitive broadband market by 2031 on track

Matthew Howett, founder of Assembly Research, said: “We need to wait and see if what’s proposed is enough to satisfy the government on its mission for growth.”

He said that any proposals needed to be compared to the list of strategic priorities for the regulator, which are set by government and have not yet been published.

The £8bn plan to break BT’s broadband grip that struggled to connect

The £8bn plan to break BT’s broadband grip that struggled to connect

Should the biggest challenger hit trouble itself, however, its backers could pull out of the sector and lenders to other alt-nets could also start to call in their debts.

“A knock of confidence among investors in CityFibre would spell trouble for the wider alt-net market and their funding positions,” says Matthew Howett, the founder and chief executive of Assembly Research.

“While never too big to fail – and we consider that unlikely – smaller fibre providers almost need them to succeed to secure their own futures.”

‘Real optimism’ as Vodafone and Three merger nears completion

‘Real optimism’ as Vodafone and Three merger nears completion

“If consumers and investors respond positively to the UK deal, it could give Vodafone licence to do more deals in other countries,” Howett says. “Others in Europe have looked on enviously as the CMA has allowed consolidation of operators as a way to propel investment in infrastructure. The previous EU competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, had been very anti-consolidation, and there is pressure on her replacement [the Spanish politician, Teresa Ribera] to allow more deals.”

How the £16.5bn Vodafone-Three UK merger will reshape Britain’s mobile landscape

How the £16.5bn Vodafone-Three UK merger will reshape Britain’s mobile landscape

Matthew Howett, founder and chief executive of Assembly Research, said that a successful appeal “would be hard-fought, expensive and face a high bar”.  He expected “positive implications overall” for wholesale customers, consumers and businesses. 

Howett said this was one of 10 attempts at large domestic telecoms deals in Europe since 2010. The majority were approved but often with structural commitments that “undermined the rationale for the mergers”. He added that operators on the continent would “have to wait to see” in terms of any revised approach to competition policy after calls from executives across the sector to be allowed to scale via consolidation.

British telecom giants vow to fix 5G ‘not spots’ as £15bn mega-merger approved

British telecom giants vow to fix 5G ‘not spots’ as £15bn mega-merger approved

Matthew Howett, Founder and Chief Executive of Assembly Research said the CMA’s decision “sets the wheels in motion for a transformation of the UK’s mobile market, and ultimately the experience for consumers”. He added: “We expect positive implications overall, not only for investment in, and the quality of, networks (including standalone 5G), but also for the wholesale customers and consumers and businesses that rely on them.”

Spain approves Saudi Arabia’s stakebuilding in Telefónica

Spain approves Saudi Arabia’s stakebuilding in Telefónica

James Robinson, senior analyst at Assembly Research, said the Spanish government likely felt more comfortable about approval given its own holding company had built up a stake in Telefónica “to offset foreign influence over a strategic asset”.

He added STC had not hit the 10 per cent mark, which would “instigate a fuller national security review.”

BT’s wonder boss takes her chance after snub by Man United

BT’s wonder boss takes her chance after snub by Man United

"Matthew Howett, chief executive of Assembly Research, says Kirkby has impressed investors by seeing through the cuts and focusing on BT’s core broadband and connectivity business. “It’s a return to basics and making sure the core parts work well and are profitable,” he adds. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw disposals of non-core assets.”

Howett says Kirkby, who was previously chief executive at Telia, the Swedish telecoms company, and has been on BT’s board since 2019, impressed with the speed at which she got to work fixing long-term issues and “bringing everyone on board for the journey”. “There is a lot of staff, and a lot of them are engineers working out of vans around the country, not people in offices in London,” Howett says. “She is out there visiting everyone everywhere.”

Vodafone and Three offer UK regulator new concessions on £16.5bn merger

Vodafone and Three offer UK regulator new concessions on £16.5bn merger

Matthew Howett, founder and chief executive of Assembly Research, said the companies’ willingness to address the regulator’s concerns, even if they did not regard them as substantial, showed that “they’re prepared to navigate the path the CMA has drawn to see the merger approved”. 

Millions of mobile customers face price rises from Vodafone and Three’s £15bn merger

Millions of mobile customers face price rises from Vodafone and Three’s £15bn merger

Matthew Howett, the founder and chief executive of Assembly Research, said: “A deal of this size and scale was alway going to face intense scrutiny from the CMA, and it was fanciful that it could have been approved without any sort of remedies.”