Collaboration should complement competition to deliver on the UK’s vision

By Ian Smith 11 Apr 25 Reading time: 4 mins

The UK aspires to be a world leader in telecoms and absolutely has the skills and capabilities to achieve this. The challenge, however, is that to date we have lacked a unified vision of what that future looks like and a strategy to get there.

To enable the UK to continue to develop world-leading end-to-end telecoms capabilities, there are two fundamental pieces of work we need to put in place.

The first is that we need to connect and combine research happening in academia with work taking place across the industry, drawing clear links between the two. The second is that we need to cultivate and promote the right environment in which businesses can thrive and deliver market-leading technology innovation.

Why collaboration matters

Traditionally, the different sub-sectors of telecoms have often operated in silos. As competition has increased in recent years, and tech and telco have further converged, the market has become increasingly complex, all of which can slow down the rate of innovation and even the deployment of new technologies and solutions.

But of course, telecoms is an interconnected sector. Many organisations depend on their components or solutions working with components from other organisations. Collaboration is therefore part of telecoms’ DNA, but attempts to further encourage it, whether through co-innovation projects, joint ventures, partnerships, or other methods, can help the industry unlock a range of benefits.

Perhaps the biggest opportunity for UK telecoms lies in global collaboration. Leveraging resources and tapping into diverse knowledge pools internationally, particularly in the context of technologies such as 5G and 6G, can accelerate research, development, and innovation globally.

Global collaboration on R&D efforts also enables telecoms companies to venture into new markets and expand their reach. By partnering with organisations possessing local market knowledge or expertise in specific technologies, the industry can unlock avenues for growth and diversification beyond traditional boundaries.

For example, by sharing its extensive academic knowledge with industry partners, the UK can position itself as a leading country on the global telecoms stage, and drive greater innovation across markets.

Collaboration in practice

But how do we make this happen in practice? Fundamentally, collaborative efforts create an ecosystem where stakeholders from different sectors or sub-sectors within telecoms can address industry challenges and drive collective growth, an example of which is academia-industry partnerships.

Universities produce world-class research, which can be translated into viable solutions through collaboration with established telecoms companies. For instance, the University of Surrey’s 5G Innovation Centre has partnered with industry players such as Vodafone and Samsung to help drive innovation in 5G networks and applications.

Another important example is the collaboration between India and the UK, as evidenced by the Memorandum of Understanding between the Bharat 6G Alliance and the UK-India Future Networks Initiative (UKI-FNI).

Such international partnerships allow for the pooling of expertise and resources, accelerating the development of next-generation technologies like 6G. This partnership is a crucial step towards harnessing the combined strength of Indian and UK expertise to drive innovation in the development of 6G technology.

“By establishing a shared public and private sector strategic vision and facilitating cross-government alignment, research, and industry goals, the telecoms industry can work together to achieve national objectives.”

Within the UK, collaboration is equally vital. UKTIN plays a key role in bringing together industry, government, and academia to catalyse R&D investment, cooperation and commercialisation.

This kind of collaboration helps to overcome fragmentation in the market, ensuring that smaller or newer companies can access the resources and expertise they need to thrive. As part of this, there is a need for better signposting to connect companies with the relevant pools of talent, resources, and expertise within the industry.

Collaboration can also help to align telecoms with the government’s vision. By establishing a shared public and private sector strategic vision and facilitating cross-government alignment, research, and industry goals, the telecoms industry can work to achieve national objectives. This unified approach is essential for the UK to effectively compete as a technological superpower on the global stage.

With a strong culture of collaboration, there is an opportunity for our industry to collectively advance the UK’s capabilities. A rising tide lifts all ships – and by working together towards a common goal, everyone stands to benefit.

Ian Smith / Guest writer

Ian Smith is the head of the UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN). He brings over 30 years of working in telecoms, with hands-on experience designing, building, and operating fixed and mobile networks and a wealth of commercial expertise. Before joining UKTIN, Ian worked as the chief technology officer at Quickline Communications and programme director for the 5G Testbeds and Trials program for the UK government.