This is the row that could derail the UK-wide 5G rollout
A long-running dispute between landowners, telecommunication companies and government appears to be here to stay.
The UK Government, then run by the Conservatives, updated the Electronic Communications Code (ECC) in 2017 in an attempt to accelerate action on 5G. But the government has acknowledged these changes were controversial.
Rent dispute
The ECC simplifies the process for network operators to access land and install infrastructure like phone masts and cables, while also balancing the rights of landowners.
It allowed many telecoms companies to vastly reduce the rents they paid to landowners.
Some landowners have reported rent reductions of up to 90%, which has led to many considering whether to continue as a hosting site.
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The proposals were described as "well intentioned" but in some areas have had the opposite impact, with landowners refusing to host the infrastructure.
There has also been an explosion in legal disputes, with cases reaching over 1,000 since 2017, compared with just three in the previous three decades, from 1984.
New changes?
The row has escalated as the Labour-led government launched a consultation in May, which looks to extend the changes in the valuation mechanism to rental agreements entered into before 2017 as they come up for renewal.
That would mean around 15,000 existing telecoms sites would be added, with landowner representatives arguing it would exacerbate the problem they face.
Industry experts want the UK Government to pause the implementation to consider the consequences for landowners.
Interestingly, Labour in opposition approved the changes, which would be made by amending the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PTSI) Act, which then updates the ECC.
In 2022, shadow digital secretary Lucy Powell warned that the PSTI changes would "slow down, rather than speed up, the broadband and 5G rollout".
But now, telecoms minister Chris Bryant confirmed the government wants to implement the provisions "as soon as possible".
Connectivity stalled
Broadband and 5G accessibility remains poor in many parts of the UK. In Scotland, Argyll and Bute and the Highlands and Islands are amongst he worst.
However, in Scotland's largest urban hub - Glasgow - fibre coverage is now amongst the five worst cities in the UK.
Just 57.8% of premises have access to full fibre broadband.
The UK is also now ranked 30th out of 39 countries in terms of availability of 5G.
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