The Economist-20241116期「Britain」5G networks: Lost connection
02 全文梳理
【para1】高开低走👉英国过去曾领跑世界通讯，5G时代却在富裕国家中垫底
【para2】供需失衡👉近年网络使用需求暴涨，英国的5G技术供不应求
【para3-7】原因分析
-para3 朝令夕改👉政治作梗催生华为禁令，供应商耗时耗费拆除原有设备
-para4-6 投资不足👉“独立组网”技术资金短缺，联营或助力效能提升
-para7 政策僵化👉相关部门墨守成规，信号塔获批阻力重重
【para8】时不我待👉6G时代大幕将开，英国“增速”刻不容缓
03 原文阅读 687words
5G networks: Lost connection
Why Britain has the worst mobile service in the rich world
5G networks: Lost connection
Why Britain has the worst mobile service in the rich world
[5] A new "core network" using stand-alone technology will need to be installed to get the full benefits of 5G. Last year just 2,000 of the country's 81,000 mobile base stations were broadcasting stand-alone 5G. The government has set a target of reaching 100% of the country's population with stand-alone 5G by 2030. But, according to Frontier Economics, a consultancy, the four mobile operators are likely to invest only about £9bn of the £22bn-32bn required to get there.
[6] A marriage might help. Vodafone and Three, the country's third- and fourth-largest mobile operators, would like to join forces in order to compete with their two larger rivals. The firms say that they are too small on their own to justify the high capital expenditure of stand-alone 5G, and that they would invest £11bn over a decade if they tied the knot. Karen Egan of Enders Analysis, a consultancy, estimates that merger synergies would result in a 30% increase in overall network capacity. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), an antitrust watchdog, is due to make a decision on the merger on December 7th; it has suggested that investment in 5G would need to be a legally binding condition of a deal.
[7] Even if the CMA consents to the merger, improving 5G network capacity and coverage will mean erecting more masts. That presents another hurdle: Britain's pesky planners. In 2022 the rules were loosened to permit masts less than 30 metres tall to be built without having to seek planning permission. Operators still complain. Smaller masts cover a smaller area, so more of them need to be built. O2 says that it takes at least six months to get a decision on a mast over 30 metres tall; applications are often stymied by local opposition.
[8] Overcoming these obstacles is vital for achieving the goal of universal 5G by 2030. It will also be needed for the eventual roll-out of 6G. In laboratory environments the next generation of mobile networks has reportedly notched up speeds 100 times faster than 5G. Britain is anything but that. ■
每天一篇经济学人团队
来自北大、复旦、南大、人大、
北外、上外、外交学院等
重点高校专业的学长学姐（CATTI一笔二笔）
多年教学经验的留学老师
十余年外刊翻译经验的英语大牛
专注打磨阅读训练营1700天+
输出高质量内容、高水平译文
