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A new report from mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) claims that London could be losing around £2.7bn a year in economic output because of bad “planning measures“, such as those that force them to take 4G and 5G network sites offline (masts and other cell sites) without first ensuring an appropriate replacement location.
The issue centres around one that another mobile operator, O2 (Virgin Media), raised back in June 2026 concerning the Notices to Quit (NTQ) planning measure. Such legal notices are often raised by land or property owners who may, for example, be seeking to revamp or demolish a building that currently hosts mobile equipment.
The notice essentially forces a mobile operator to remove their kit within 18 months, but Vodafone claims that replacing a site following an NTQ takes around five years on average. According to the new report, this has resulted in “tens of thousands of Londoners” potentially living in “functional not spots” – areas without reliable access to 4G or 5G mobile data (mobile broadband).