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UK risks falling behind in AI race without faster telecoms upgrades, say executives

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UK risks falling behind in AI race without faster telecoms upgrades, say executives

Planning delays and slow 5G upgrades could leave the UK unable to cope with a surge in AI-related traffic

The UK risks becoming a laggard in the global AI race as crucial telecoms upgrades to harness the technology fall behind rival nations, according to senior industry executives.

The infrastructure AI race has centred on the need to build datacentres, 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.

However, as adoption spreads, the UK’s broadband and mobile networks will be expected to carry an immense volume of AI-related traffic produced by consumers and businesses.

While the UK has addressed its previously embarrassing status of having one of the slowest broadband speeds in Europe, as BT’s Openreach and other service providers cover the country with full-fibre connections, efforts to upgrade the nation’s 5G mobile networks are not keeping pace.

Mobile coverage in the UK is worse than any of the 27 EU member states, and every other member of the G7, according to a recent report by the consumer group Which? based on data from Opensignal.

According to the analysis, the UK ranks 57th globally for network performance, 70th for download speeds and 55th for the reliable quality needed for activities such as video calls, streaming and gaming.

“If with the technology and services we use today [networks] are sub-optimal, imagine when you add mass AI usage and other associated activities,” said Andrea Donà, networks director at VodafoneThree, the UK’s largest mobile operator.


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