UK Government Sets Out Communication Infrastructure Strategy With a Role for Satellite

The United Kingdom has unveiled sweeping plans for communications technologies such as satellite, in a huge new policy initiative. Its latest Wireless Infrastructure Strategy details the roles technologies such as satellite will play as the U.K. aims to be at the forefront of communications technologies and connectivity. The U.K. government released the new strategy on April 11.

“The Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, developed through close engagement with industry and local bodies right across the country, sets out our plan for gripping this critical challenge and delivering our new ambition to provide nationwide coverage of standalone 5G to all populated areas by 2030,” commented Minister of State for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Julia Lopez.

The government is launching an 8 million pound ($9.92 million) fund to provide capital grants to further promote new satellite connectivity to the most remote 35,000 premises. The government said this work follows the launch of the government’s Alpha Trial Programme in December 2022, to test the capability and viability of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to deliver high-speed connectivity to homes and businesses in very hard to reach areas. The U.K. has launched a total of seven sites across the across the country using a mix of both OneWeb and Starlink equipment.

These sites include some of the most remote areas of the U.K. including Snowdonia National Park, North York Moors, Papa Stour, and Lundy Island. Further details on the value of the grants will be released later. Additional policy measures for those premises where the government believes that fixed wireless access connectivity will be possible will be brought forward later this year.

“Developments in both Low-Earth Orbit and Geostationary Orbit satellite technology mean that satellite technology is likely to play an increasingly important role in delivering broadband and mobile connectivity to remote areas, providing backhaul for cellular networks and establishing reliable narrowband links to IoT devices. The latest 5G standards begin to integrate commercial satellite and terrestrial mobile networks, providing technical specifications for direct-to-device 5G over satellite. We are starting to see commercial partnerships between satellite operators and mobile operators. It is now foreseeable that the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks will eventually lead to ubiquitous network coverage,” the strategy says.

The government’s ambition is to have nationwide coverage of standalone 5G to all populated areas by 2030. The government will also invest 40 million pounds ($49.58 million) to establish eight to 10 5G Innovation Regions across the U.K. It says this will enable regions and local authorities to unlock opportunities using advanced wireless connectivity, tailored to each area’s specific needs and strengths, encourage 5G take-up in the public sector and in industry and strengthen the case for investment at the local level, driving productivity and growth.

Another key element of the strategy is to launch a new, long-term national mission, with initial funding of up to 100 million pounds ($123.96 million), that it hopes will ensure the U.K. is at the leading-edge of future telecoms and 6G technologies. The U.K. government sees these next generation networks heralding a new, richer generation of internet-based services, power rapidly growing global digital economies and support net zero — from complex AI and quantum-enabled networks of satellites and drones, to fiber-optic networks . A key element of this mission will be a series of future telecoms research hubs, where early stage research will be coordinated through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) via the Technology Missions Fund (TMF).

“We don’t know what 6G will look like yet but it has the potential to address some of the important challenges of our time, such as how to build sustainability features into telecoms networks to support energy emissions targets and how to integrate terrestrial mobile networks with satellite networks to eradicate coverage not spots. We want to make sure 6G develops in a way that meets the U.K.’s economic and societal needs,” the strategy says.