Planning laws preventing faster internet, claims BT boss

Planning regulation is slowing down the rollout of faster internet, the chief executive of BT's consumer division has told Sky News.

Planning rules were said to be the "key barrier" to implementing 5G mobile phone signal by BT consumer division CEO Marc Allera.

He described the legislation as "very arcane and really not favourable to rolling out digital infrastructure at the pace that the UK needs it".

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The industry is working hard with the government and regulator "having a very open dialogue" in an effort to change those rules "that quite simply just make it very hard for us to roll out at the pace and scale that our customers want," he told Sky's Business Live programme.

Different kinds of infrastructure growth are stymied by such rules, he added, mentioning home fibre broadband provision, as well as 5G signal.

The Labour government has made planning reform one of its key priorities and a core part of its plan to grow the economy.

Better phone signal

Higher speed phone signal through 5G is to be implemented in 15 cities across the UK "to get us started", Mr Allera said, with millions getting faster connectivity "straight away".

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When asked when rural areas and towns could be covered by 5G, especially those who don't yet have 4G, Mr Allera said EE, owned by BT, had made "significant inroads".

"But I recognise we haven't covered the whole country yet and that's where we need collaboration and partnership not just with other infrastructure providers but also with government as well, finding ways to reach parts of the country where it's uneconomic for us to roll out this significant infrastructure".

Cities to get EE 5G connections are:

• Bath
• Belfast
• Birmingham
• Bradford
• Bristol
• Cardiff
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Hull
• Leeds
• Leicester
• Liverpool
• London
• Manchester
• Sheffield

Why does 5G matter?

Speedier connections can power mobile gaming and video streaming, while most of the latest mobile phone models, including iPhone, Samsung, and Google devices, are 5G compatible.

It comes after the boss of mobile phone firm Three hit out at the UK's "abysmal" 5G speeds and availability.

Chief executive Robert Finnegan made the comments as he urged regulators to approve the company's planned merger with Vodafone - arguing the £15bn move would pave the way for better investment in network infrastructure.

The UK's four main mobile providers - Three, Vodafone, BT/EE and Virgin Media-O2 - have been rolling out the technology to provide 5G to phone users across the country.

In 2020 the government decided to block Chinese tech giant Huawei from involvement in building the network due to security concerns.

Ministers also ordered the removal of some of Huawei's already-installed equipment.

However, some analysts have claimed the move has resulted in disruption and delays to the UK's rollout.