The website TotalTelecom reports on the publication of telecoms regulator Ofcom’s 2019 priorities.

Ofcom has put 5G and rural connectivity at the top of its priority list for the year. In a press statement it said: ‘We want to see rural communities getting the kind of mobile coverage that people expect in towns and cities.’ Specifically, the plan details that Ofcom ‘will explore a range of policy options and technologies’ for rural areas and ‘continue to develop proposals for new licence obligations that would require improvements in mobile coverage in rural areas’.

Ofcom has promised to publish a further statement on rural connectivity in the third quarter of the year, and expects to begin auction applications for providers in December 2019. ‘We will also continue to look at how mobile coverage can be measured and reported more clearly to consumers,’ it added.

Full articles:

→ Totaltelecom - Ofcom confirms 5G and rural connectivity as its top priorities for 2019

→ Ofcom - Statement: Ofcom's Annual Plan 2019/20