Keynote speech given by Natalie Black to the Connected Britain Event, 9 September 2026, London
[check against delivery]
Good morning
It is a real pleasure to be here at Connected Britain, particularly following Natalie Ceeney at the Connection Project who is doing such important work to bring us all together.
This autumn will mark two years since I started as Ofcom’s Group Director for Infrastructure and Connectivity.
Which means I have now attended enough telecoms conferences to know that if I mention fibre, investment or mobile coverage in the first two minutes, at least half the room will nod along appreciatively.
While the other half check they’ve got a decent mobile signal.
But this actually proves an important point.
Connectivity has become like electricity. Most people only notice it when it is not there. Yet when it stops working, everything else quickly stops working too.
People do not experience our sector through policy statements, market reviews or data models.
They experience it when they call a loved one.
When they’re trying to submit a job application.
When they make a payment online.
And, of course, when none of these work.
So, as I stand here, nearly two years in, I want to ask us all three questions:
- 1 Why does connectivity matter so much?
- 2 What does a connected UK look like?
- 3 And how do we deliver it together?
I don’t pretend that we have all the answers at Ofcom, nor should we. But we do believe that delivering a fully connected UK is a team effort.
It will require investment, innovation, collaboration and at times, some difficult choices.
Industry, government, local authorities and regulators all have a role to play.
And at Ofcom, we are ready to play ours.
Why does connectivity matter?
So let me start with the first question, why does connectivity matter so much?
Now, we are at Connected Britain, so you could argue that I should have cut this section from my speech as I am preaching to the largely converted.
But I do think it is worth the time because as a sector, I am not sure we always cut through beyond rooms like this.
When people talk about growth, innovation, public service reform, sovereignty, national security or resilience, they are often talking about connectivity, whether they realise it or not.
The digital economy does not float somewhere above us.
The digital economy depends on physical infrastructure. Fibre networks, mobile sites, data centres and subsea cables increasingly shape our economic future.
As AI, cloud computing and digital services continue to grow, the countries that succeed will not simply be those that consume technology. They will be those that create the conditions for innovation, investment, security, and consumer trust to flourish.
AI is already transforming businesses, public services and the way people interact with technology.
That is why we have begun a programme of work at Ofcom, to understand how AI will affect consumers and networks including:
- Firstly - how is the use of AI starting to affect the experience of consumers in telecoms? We’ll share our initial views on this, with a publication late this month
- Secondly - what steps may we need to take to ensure defensive AI can be deployed effectively under our cyber security regulations, with that project launching later this month as well
- And lastly - how is AI being deployed in networks and what does this mean, both for the capacity we need, and how we assure them?
Where do we want to go?
At Ofcom, our vision is clear.
We want every home, business, school and hospital to benefit from world-class connectivity.
Connectivity that people can rely on. That they can afford. That is secure. That keeps working when they need it most.
And connectivity that gives people the confidence to participate fully in modern life without worrying about scams, cyber-attacks, extreme weather or losing access because they are struggling financially.
In some ways, that sounds like a modest ambition.
But everyone in this room knows it is not.
Delivering it requires investment, innovations and a relentless focus on what people actually experience building.
Take mobile.
The UK has built extensive coverage. Operators have invested around £10 billion in their networks since 2020. Strong competition has delivered real benefits too, with average prices falling by around a fifth in real terms over the last five years, while average data use has more than doubled.
But, coverage on a map is not the same as a connection people can count on.
Today, people get the level of mobile performance needed for typical everyday uses less than four fifths of the time. On international comparisons, the UK sits in the bottom third of comparable advanced economies for overall mobile performance.
We should be aiming much higher.
Our ambition is that people should be able to get good connectivity at least 90% of the time, wherever they are.
Because nobody cares how many bars they have if their video call freezes.
They care whether it works.
The same principle applies to fixed networks.
The UK has made remarkable progress over the last decade. Nine in ten homes can now access ultrafast broadband, and millions more people have a choice of full-fibre providers than ever before.
But fibre only delivers its value when people use it.
The real prize is not fibre passing a front door. It is families, businesses and public services benefitting from the opportunities that world-class connectivity creates.
And we should recognise that this is no longer just about fixed and mobile networks.
Satellite is becoming an increasingly important part of the UK’s connectivity infrastructure, whether through backhaul, direct-to-device services or improving resilience in hard-to-reach places.
So when I think about the future, I see a connectivity ecosystem that combines fibre, mobile and satellite.
Connectivity which is available when people need it
But more than that
Connectivity that is high quality
Affordable
Secure
And resilient.
How do we get there?
We have made so much progress in building infrastructure.
The challenge now is making sure people, businesses and public services fully benefit from it.
At Ofcom, we think that means focusing on three things:
- First, creating the right conditions to drive adoption
- Second, strengthening security and resilience to give business and consumers greater confidence
- And third, maintaining a relentless focus on the experience people actually receive.
Let me take each of these in turn.
First, driving adoption.
The best example here are the significant steps we have taken to support the UK's transition from copper to fibre.
Our regulatory framework progressively transfers regulation from copper to full-fibre services, supporting Openreach's move to fibre, while ensuring that alternative networks have the opportunity to compete and increase take-up.
Alongside that, we have introduced measures that make it easier for consumers to switch and access better services. More than three million people have already used One Touch Switch, and our End of Contract Notifications help customers understand their options and access the best available deals.
But as rollout continues, our focus must increasingly shift from availability to adoption.
That is why today Ofcom is setting out the next stage of the transition from copper to fibre.
From April 2029, Openreach will be able to increase copper prices in exchange areas with more than 90% ultrafast coverage.
This creates a clear incentive for consumers and businesses to move to modern networks and realise the benefits of fibre before the end of the decade.
Second, strengthening security and resilience.
Connectivity is no longer simply a sector. It is part of the UK's critical infrastructure, underpinning our economy, public services and national security.
The UK's digital infrastructure is one of our great strengths. Full-fibre availability has increased from less than a quarter of premises at the start of the decade to more than three quarters today, supported by billions of pounds of private investment.
But as our dependence on digital infrastructure grows, so too do the consequences of failure.
Security and resilience are not compliance exercises. They are enablers for growth.
Businesses invest, services innovate and citizens embrace new technologies only when they have confidence that the networks they rely on will be secure, reliable and available when they are needed most.
That is why the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is so important. It brings data centres and critical suppliers into scope, strengthens information sharing, and promotes a more system-wide approach to risk. This reflects the reality that our digital infrastructure is deeply interconnected.
And that interconnectedness is only becoming more important as we enter the era of artificial intelligence.
Frontier AI models have the potential to transform productivity, innovation and economic growth. But they also depend on secure, resilient and trusted digital infrastructure. That is why collaboration across the ecosystem is so important. Through initiatives such as the UK Telecoms Lab and through engagement with the AI Security Institute, we are building the expertise needed to manage emerging risks while enabling innovation.
Because resilience cannot be delivered by any one organisation alone. This is why at Ofcom, we are putting such an emphasis on working with other regulators (particularly the ICO and ofgem) to ensure we are as joined-up as possible.
A vulnerability in one part of the system can quickly become a problem somewhere else. Security is therefore a shared responsibility, and we all have a role to play.
Third, focusing on the consumer experience.
There is no better example of this than mobile.
If we want to move from the bottom third of comparable countries into the top tier for mobile performance, action will be required from all of us.
Operators will have a major role to play. But better performance cannot be delivered by operators alone.
It requires an environment that supports investment, innovation and long-term planning.
That is why we have worked to unlock investment through the Vodafone-Three merger, empowered consumers through Map Your Mobile. It’s why we launched our Connectivity You Can Count On programme to focus attention on the quality of experience people actually receive, whether in large venues, rural communities or on the rail network. All to complement the Government’s Mobile Market Review.
Furthermore, we are ensuring the UK has the spectrum foundations it needs for next-generation connectivity. That means releasing more than 5 GHz of mmWave spectrum to remove capacity bottlenecks in the busiest parts of the UK. That means enabling new direct-to-device satellite services to bring coverage to extend coverage to some of the hardest-to-reach areas. And it means looking ahead to our plans for the Upper 6 GHz band, which will unlock significant new capacity for mobile and Wi-Fi services to help keep the UK's digital infrastructure ahead of growing demand.
Our work demonstrates that there is no single solution.
Different places will require different approaches, and success will depend on collaboration between industry, regulators and national and local government.
Earlier this year, after working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, we published our findings on our mobile pilot in the area and our data so far on planning approval rates across the country. By combining the value of local knowledge with better evidence about real-world performance, we want to provide local leaders with the data they need and help remove practical barriers to support solutions that are best suited to those areas.
But all of these solutions ultimately depend on confidence to invest.
Competition has delivered enormous benefits through greater choice, lower prices and innovation. The growth of MVNOs is a key part of this, allowing MNOs to extend their reach into new markets. But, the challenge now is ensuring that competition continues to support investment and quality alongside affordability.
This may be at the wholesale pricing level, or through broader policies like Net Neutrality.
The principle that users of the internet should be in control of what they see and do online, rather than the internet service provider, should be protected. It ensures that the internet functions as an extraordinary engine for innovation.
At the same time, that should not preclude us from having open conversations about how those frameworks can continue to support innovation and growth in a changing market. We are supportive of reforms to the rules that give ISPs greater flexibility to innovate and manage their networks more efficiently, provided that the core aims of the net neutrality rules are protected.
Across communications markets, our objective remains the same: to make communications work for everyone.
People need confidence that the services they choose will deliver the quality they expect. They need clear information, fair treatment and support when they need it, particularly those who are most vulnerable.
Conclusion
So connectivity is becoming more important but also more complex. At Ofcom, we have a vision for its future, and early views on how we get there.
Over the next two days, I'm sure we'll hear plenty of different views. In telecoms, the only thing we seem to have more of than fibre is opinions.
The UK's connectivity story has been a success. We have built world-class infrastructure and attracted significant investment. Yet the next challenge is different.
It is not simply about building more.
It is about delivering better.
This is a Team UK challenge.
Because ultimately, our audience is not in this room. It is the people and businesses we serve.
They do not care about regulatory frameworks, deployment statistics or coverage maps.
They care whether their connection works.
At home.
At work.
On the move.
So my call to action is simple.
Let's make the next phase of the UK's connectivity story about quality people can feel.
Let's move from measuring where a signal might exist to delivering a connection people can count on.
And let's give people the confidence that whenever they need to connect, the connection will be there.
That is the ambition.
It is achievable.
And if we work together, we can deliver it. Thank you.