Poor mobile signal? - not for long (hopefully). Important news for landowners
Most of you would have no doubt seen the ample coverage of the new electronic communications code which is being brought in to drag government legislation of telecommunications in to the 21st century. This code replaces the dinosaur of the 1984 code and is well overdue. Most laptops or phones are considered ancient when they become 2 years old and so a code to govern this technology from 1984 shows how much this new code is needed.
For most of us the new code will be very good news as hopefully the struggle to obtain more than 1 or no bars of signal should be a thing of the past. By the end of this year all mobile operators are required to deliver coverage to 90% of the UK.
But what does this mean for the landowners who are faced with agreeing for a mobile operator to install a mast on their land?
In brief mobile operators are becoming more and more like other utility providers and the rights that they will have at their disposal will be greatly increased by the new code. The government is aiming to promote investment in new technologies and make it much easier for mobile operators to upgrade and expand their networks.
Unfortunately for Landowners this means that their rights are taking the back seat. Rents will now be lower and more in line with utility companies and also site sharing will be easier to do with operators no longer having to seek consent. This was previously another opportunity for an income stream which will be lost.
People in areas of the UK with poor mobile coverage will soon get a significant boost to their connections thanks to Government action to speed up the rollout of mobile and broadband services.
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