Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has published a new standard agreement for public and private sector property owners to support the installation of mobile network infrastructure.
His office said it will speed up the process of giving network operators access to rooftops and other sites to eliminate mobile ‘not spots’ in the city and support the roll out of 5G.
The agreement has been developed in partnership with the British Standards Institution, with the support of City of London, and a steering committee made up of legal representatives of landowners and from the telecommunications sector.
A spokesperson said:” We have a standard template for agreements developed with representatives of the stakeholders, which overcomes some of the key issues they come across.
“At the moment it is difficult for site providers and mobile network operations to reach agreements.”
She cited the example of lifting and shifting equipment during redevelopment as one of the issues covered, and said the agreement can be adapted to specific circumstances.
The mayor’s manifesto included making better use of public sector property to support digital connectivity in London.
Theo Blackwell, London’s chief digital officer said: “Today good mobile coverage is an expectation for all those who live, work or visit London. This guidance is part of the Mayor’s commitment to enhance mobile and fixed connectivity in the capital. It helps end uncertainty which has stopped or slowed infrastructure being put in place across London with a new, consistent approach.
“At City Hall we are working to ensure we have the digital connectivity infrastructure needed through our new Connected London programme, to support Londoners in areas of poor connectivity and assist the future roll out of 5G, which will hugely benefit businesses and the public alike.”
The mayor’s office said Londoners currently use 38 million gigabytes of mobile data per year – a fifth of the total for the UK. Each year the amount rises by an estimated 25% to 42%.
Image by Mai-Linh Doan, CC BY-SA 3.0
