Telecoms executives have warned that the UK could lose ground in the global AI race if mobile and broadband infrastructure is not upgraded more quickly. They argue that widespread AI use will sharply increase network traffic, making reliable, high-capacity connectivity a national competitiveness issue alongside datacentres, energy and water supplies.

Although full-fibre broadband coverage has improved, the UK’s 5G performance remains comparatively weak: Which? ranked it 57th globally for network performance, 70th for download speeds and 55th for reliability. VodafoneThree plans to invest £11bn in upgrades, largely at existing masts, but says planning requirements delay work; over half of its required upgrades need permission despite 96% being on existing sites.