Commenting on the government announcement on proposals to simplify planning rules to improve rural mobile coverage, Mike Spicer, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“We’ve been calling on the new government to prioritise the introduction of sympathetic reforms to the UK planning system to support the rollout of 4G and 5G, so this announcement is a positive signal.

“For too long business communities, particularly in rural areas, have been hindered by poor mobile coverage, impacting their productivity and ability to connect with customers, suppliers and staff. Simplifying planning rules for would go a long way to improve rural coverage, but businesses need concrete action not just proposals and consultations.

“The Chamber Network’s No More Not Spots campaign was launched last year in response to the long-standing exasperation of firms that were trying to operate in a modern economy without the right foundations. Now is the time to break down the barriers faced by operators looking to invest in new infrastructure for the business needs of today and tomorrow.”