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An industry body has called on the government to take clear, decisive action in the new year in order to encourage the development of the UK's fixed-line and mobile networks to ensure businesses have the connectivity they need to be successful.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said that without more support, the country's digital revolution is in danger of buffering, which will leave the UK falling further behind international competitors.
While the organisation's new Ready, Set, Connect report welcomed ambitious targets from the government to ensure every property in the county has access to full fibre broadband by 2033 and 5G connectivity by 2027, it stated action must be taken in 2019 to ensure that the UK does not suffer from poor connectivity in the meantime.
UK chief policy director at the CBI Matthew Fell said: "In today’s world, digital connectivity matters more than ever - if data is the new oil, then digital connectivity is the pipe that transports it. Seamless connections, from full fibre networks to 5G, offer unprecedented opportunities for businesses and consumers across the UK."
Therefore, the organisation highlighted several key action points for the government to ensure the UK is a good environment in which to run a digital business.
Among its recommendations, it urged policymakers to enact legislation that will ensure every new-build property in the country has access to gigabit connectivity by the end of 2019, as well as permitting deployers to access land or property in order to install connections for private tenants.
Mr Fell said communications providers are eager to upgrade the UK's networking infrastructure, but are often held back because they are unable to secure access to private properties in order to carry out the work.
He added: "With businesses often noting that it takes significant time for new connections to be installed, they ask why not install full fibre cables simultaneously alongside new property developments.
"We’re wasting precious time and surrendering our competitive advantage if we don’t install the utilities of the future right now. That’s why the government must make gigabit internet connectivity in new builds a legal minimum by the end of 2019."
