Political Monitor 09/10/2020

14 October 2020

Broadband

Ofcom publish Mobile Matters report 2020

The report sought to understand the changing ways people are using their mobile devices. To do this, Ofcom analysed crowdsourced data collected between January and April 2020 from around 200,000 Android devices across the UK. Some key findings in relation to WiFi include

• Two-thirds (65%) of the time, devices were connected to Wi-Fi rather than to a cellular network.
• People were able to connect to a 4G network on 97.3% of the occasions when they attempted to do so.
• Lockdown resulted in a dramatic decrease in mobile use in the central areas of the UK’s capital cities, as people stopped commuting into these areas and instead worked from home, typically over Wi-Fi.
• People in urban areas were slightly more likely than those in rural areas to be connected to Wi-Fi (66% vs. 64%).
• During the first six weeks of lockdown (23 March to 30 April) the percentage of time spent connected to Wi-Fi increased by 9pp to just under three-quarters (74%).
• During the working day, data use is fairly evenly split between mobile and Wi-Fi technologies.
• Wi-Fi use was more stable overall compared to mobile data use, even increasing at times.

Social Market Foundation publish Funding Fibre report

The Social Market Foundation (SMF) report explores the current broadband landscape in the UK and the extent to which policy and regulation are well-equipped to meet Government ambitions to deliver “full fibre broadband to every home in the land” by 2025. However, the SMF describe this ambition as ‘ambitious’ stating that at present, full fibre to the premises (FTTP) broadband coverage stands at just 14% across the UK as a whole. Analysis also shows the UK is lagging far behind other economies on FTTP broadband penetration, including Spain, New Zealand and South Korea.

The SMF say the cost of meeting the Government target will be an expensive one, estimating that providing FTTP to the “final 10%” of UK households alone will likely cost about £4,000 per premises. The report also sets out a number of recommendations including central and local Government committing to purchasing full fibre broadband services to provide some certainty of demand, and the appointment of local authority digital champions to act as a single point of contact for telecommunications companies in local areas. The SMF also recommend that Government take on an expanded role in managing the uptake risks of rolling out full fibre broadband much like the New Zealand Government. The report suggests that Brexit may allow for the UK Government to take on such a role.

Cyber Security

Defence Committee publishes its report “The Security of 5G”

The report finds that the development of 5G will increase the UK’s dependency on mobile connectivity, opening the UK up to security risks such as espionage, sabotage or system failure. Some key points include

• The main finding is that the Committee believes the current regulatory situation for network security is outdated and unsatisfactory and that has led to commercial concerns trumping those of national security.
• The Committee support the proposal to form a D10 alliance, consisting of ten of the world’s largest democracies, in order to provide alternatives to Chinese technology.
• The Committee believe the Government must act swiftly and outline a joint 5G policy as soon as possible and also advise that Telecoms Security Bill be introduced before 31 December 2020.
• On Huawei, The Committee say their inquiry found that there is clear evidence of collusion between Huawei and the Chinese state and support the Government’s goal of removing the HRV by 2027. However, the Committee note that this date being moved forward, potentially to 2025 which could be considered economically feasible.
• A clear conclusion from the Committee was that the UK vendor market for 5G kit is not diverse enough and the Committee recommend that the Government work with mobile network operators to bring in new vendors to the UK, giving the examples of example Samsung or NEC. They also say that Government and mobile service operators should continue investment in OpenRAN technology.

Written Question on Huawei

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Luke Pollard MP (Labour) asked what estimate DCMS has made of the length of time it will take to remove Huawei from the UK 5G network. Matt Warman responded that going further and faster beyond a 2027 target would add considerable – and unnecessary – further costs and delays to the removal of Huawei. This would also cause disruption to mobile telecoms networks. Warman continued that individual pathways to comply with the 2027 deadline will be a commercial decision for the individual operators and that the forthcoming Telecommunications (Security) Bill will provide the powers to place this timetable on a clear legal footing.

Written Question on 5G

Luke Pollard MP (Labour) asked what steps DCMS is taking to create a nationwide 5G network. Whilst DCMS somewhat avoided the question, DCMS Minister Matt Warman replied that all four mobile network operators have launched 5G networks, with 5G services now available in over 100 towns and cities across the UK. DCMS was also funding the research and trials of 5G networks through the £200million 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme.

Online Safety

MPs debate Online Harms

Holly Lynch MP (Labour) called a Parliamentary debate on Online Harms. The debate focussed on online abuse and making this a specific criminal offence. Some key points include:

• Lynch argued there had been an “utter failure” to regulate social media.
• Lynch criticised the White Paper for not covering “misinformation and disinformation” and asked when the White Paper Bill would be published.
• Asked for an update on the age-verification regime for commercial pornography sites.

Responding for the Government, Minister for Digital and Culture Caroline Dinenage accepted the challenge that legislation should be “robust, clear and soon”. In addition:

• Said the Government’s approach would “require companies to have clear and accessible mechanisms for users to report harmful content and to challenge it”.
• Stated that the “duty of care will be overseen by a regulator, which will have oversight of these mechanisms and strong enforcement powers to deal with non-compliance”.
• Noted that consultations on other powers had taken place, such as blocking internet service providers.
• Stated that age assurance and age verification technologies would be required by platforms to protect children.

Subgroup news

Please find an update on our ongoing policy work below

Broadband

• Held a meeting with members to discuss ISPA’s response to the Gigatag call for evidence
• Held a call with DCMS and COVID, Brexit and supply chain security.

Online Safety

• The Liability Subgroup will hold its next meeting in the coming weeks. If you haven’t already, please select a preferred time and date using this link.

Cyber

• ISPA attended a briefing call with the DCMS on the Telecoms Security Bill. A summary note was sent to the Telecoms Security Working Group and a member briefing call is being organised. If you would like to join the group, please email andrew@ispa.org.uk or elly@ispa.org.uk
• Organised a webinar for members on how to increase network security. A recording of the video will be available soon.

ISPA events

ISPA Awards Online Ceremony

You are invited to the 22nd annual ISPA Awards ceremony, which will take place on a very engaging online platform on Wednesday 18th November from 4.30pm-5.30pm. Please add this date to your diaries and RSVP to awards@ispa.org.uk if you would like to secure your free ticket. More information will be revealed soon but rest assured that although we can’t meet in person this year, we will make the ceremony exciting and fun as always. Keep your eyes peeled for future announcements!