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

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

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5G 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

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These areas of poor coverage are widely spread, in small pockets.\r

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It is not enough simply to know where there is a problem. Addressing poor mobile coverage requires three components:\r

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1> A business case to secure public funding to address the market failure\r

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2> 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

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3>One or more delivery mechanisms to deploy public funding to resolve the market failure efficiently and competitively\r

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The 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