Digital Place - Call-off from GCloud14 (RM1557.13)

2026-11-03

Around 14% of England does not have good outdoor mobile coverage and up to 27% of premises do not have good indoor coverage, according to the most recent OFCOM Connected Nations report. The situation for adequate capacity is likely to be poorer still, with ad-hoc reports suggesting the figure may be worse.\r\r5G coverage has been increasing and OFCOM has reported population coverage of 67-78%, but this coverage is mainly in large conurbations. Only 22% of the UK 81,000 mobile sites have 5G equipment installed, and many of these do not use the spectrum that delivers high capacity.\r\rThese areas of poor coverage are widely spread, in small pockets.\r\rIt is not enough simply to know where there is a problem. Addressing poor mobile coverage requires three components:\r\r1> A business case to secure public funding to address the market failure\r\r2> A clear understanding of where market failure exists, why it exists, how it can be re-solved and what costs and benefits are associated with resolution\r\r3>One or more delivery mechanisms to deploy public funding to resolve the market failure efficiently and competitively\r\rThe solution proposed by this Call-Off must address the poor mobile coverage in Oxfordshire and the surrounding region. It must be capable of growing rapidly to drive benefits across the UK

United Kingdom (UK)

2025-12-10