The templates have been developed in partnership with the British Standards Institution, with the support of City of London, and a steering committee made up of representatives of Transport for London, London local authorities, Cabinet Office, landlords, RICS, British Property Federation, network operators and their partnerships.
The templates can be found here (under the ‘Templates for drafting legal agreements” tab).
The project was inspired by the City of London’s Standardised Wayleave Toolkit and the City of London kindly supported the development of these documents. The documents are intended for use by both mobile network operators and their site provider, both in London and beyond. They are intended to act as a neutral starting point for discussions, are voluntary and can be adapted.
This move has been welcomed by business group London First, which has today (27 September) released a report, Enhancing Digital Connectivity, which argues that steps must be taken now if full fibre is to become the norm across the capital.
Theo Blackwell, London’s chief digital officer said: “Today good mobile coverage is an expectation for all those who live, work or visit London. This guidance is part of the Mayor’s commitment to enhance mobile and fixed connectivity in the capital. It helps end uncertainty which has stopped or slowed infrastructure being put in place across London with a new, consistent approach.
“At City Hall we are working to ensure we have the digital connectivity infrastructure needed through our new Connected London programme, to support Londoners in areas of poor connectivity and assist the future roll out of 5G, which will hugely benefit businesses and the public alike.”
Catherine McGuiness, policy chair at the City of London Corporation said: “This new mobile standard agreement is a landmark achievement in ensuring improved mobile coverage across London and the UK, eradicating ‘not spots’ and expediting roll out of new 5G networks. It is welcome that the GLA has brought together key stakeholders from the telecoms and property industries to address these important issues. The City of London Corporation gives its full endorsement to the agreement, and encourages its ongoing use.”
Melanie Leech CBE, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “The British Property Federation was pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the drafting of the GLA’s mobile agreement template. The template should improve the efficiency of negotiations between parties and help to ensure that London is ready to embrace 5G.”
Catherine Haslam, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Telecoms Forum Board said: “Mobile coverage, alongside the Connected London initiative are critically important to both telecommunications’ connectivity and high technology use within the built environment. Commercial real estate, business, and public mobile users need global telecommunication systems to operate efficiently and be fit for their purpose.
“Standardised access agreements are an essential step towards easing issues and delay in the telecommunications infrastructure development process, and removing mobile 'not spots' will crucially provide high speed services to owners, occupiers and the public. The imminent arrival of 5G technologies makes this initiative even more timely.”
