The document discusses investment opportunities in the UK communications industry, specifically in mobile technology, internet infrastructure, and cloud computing. It notes that the UK has the largest mobile market and mobile payment sector in Europe. Major opportunities exist in developing 4G networks, cyber security, software development, and providing cloud services and infrastructure to both the public and private sectors. The UK government has initiatives to expand broadband access and use of public cloud services, opening opportunities for foreign companies.

1. Investment opportunities:
Communications industry
in the UK

2. Communications industry in the UK:
investment opportunities
• The UK communications sector has about 8,000
companies who employ over 270,000 people. There are
opportunities for investment in 2 main areas where there
is high growth. These are: mobile, internet.
• Big communications projects in the UK are currently
focused on infrastructure - the introduction of fibre-optic
home broadband and the roll out of 4G and Long Term
Evolution (LTE) mobile data communications.
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3. Communications industry in the UK:
mobile device market
• The UK’s mobile market is the largest in Europe with a
value of £14 billion annually and 80 million mobile
subscribers. This means companies are always looking
at new opportunities to use mobile technology.
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4. Communications industry in the UK:
mobile payments
• The UK has the biggest mobile payment market in Europe as more
consumers are using new non-cash payment methods when
shopping.
• Mobile payments are also used in financial services such as mobile
wallets, mobile banking and mobile money transfers making
personal banking easier to access for customers.
• As it’s popularity grows, new opportunities for companies are
developing in: creating secure networks, new software development,
developing devices.
• By 2015 the value of transactions made through mobile devices
could be €81.9 billion. This is due to Near Field Communication
(NFC) applications, which is where smartphone mobile
devices establish radio communication when they’re
in contact, or close to each other.
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5. Communications industry in the UK:
next generation network opportunities
• The UK wants to introduce the biggest broadband network in
Europe by 2015. It’s a priority for the UK Government to
improve the country’s broadband infrastructure.
• £530 million is allocated for introducing superfast broadband
across the UK as part of the strategy on the future of Britain’s
superfast broadband.
• Different technologies will be needed for the upgraded
infrastructure covering fibre, existing copper, mobile and
wireless.
• Superfast broadband will help Small Medium Enterprises
(SMEs) grow and encourage businesses to look at e-
commerce.
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6. Communications industry in the UK:
4G and Long Term Evolution (LTE)
• The move to digital TV in the UK means the 800
Megahertz (Mhz) spectrum is free to use for
future mobile broadband services. This
spectrum was sold in 2013 and 4G services are
being introduced across the country with internet
speeds up to 150 Mega bits per second (Mbps)
downstream.
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7. Communications industry in the UK:
Network security
• Secure networks are important for the security of
the UK and other countries. The UK is a leader
in providing secure communications and offers
companies opportunities in a number of areas
including in cyber security.
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8. Communications industry in the UK:
Cloud computing
• Cloud computing is a growing market that will help the
UK’s economy in the future. Sending data and delivering
services securely and efficiently at low cost means big
opportunities for businesses working on smart
communication technologies.
• As more devices become connected to the Cloud,
manufacturers of new devices will need to work with
Cloud providers to ensure customers can connect to
these types of services.
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9. Information Communications Technology
(ICT) in the UK: investment opportunities
• The UK is one of the world’s largest information
communications technology (ICT) markets.
Overseas companies have an opportunity to
secure a share of one of the biggest cloud and
data centre markets in the world.
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10. Information Communications Technology
(ICT) in the UK: Software development
• The UK develops software for many applications
and international companies provide funding for
research and development (R&D). Many
software companies operate in the UK including
Microsoft, IBM and HP.
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11. Information Communications Technology
(ICT) in the UK: Mobile device market
• The UK’s mobile market is the largest in Europe
with a value of £14 billion annually and 80 million
mobile subscriptions. This means companies
are always looking at new opportunities to use
mobile technology and improve the experiences
of consumers.
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12. Information Communications Technology
(ICT) in the UK: Cloud computing
• The UK cloud computing market is predicted to reach
£6.1 billion by 2014 (source: TechMarketView) and
offers big investment opportunities for companies in the
ICT sector.
• 18% of UK small medium enterprises (SMEs) use cloud
and a further 30% plan to use them in the next 12
months. 81% of established cloud users in the UK plan
to increase cloud usage over the next 2 years.
• Almost all software companies in the UK are using
cloud. Opportunities exist in both the public
and private sector for companies offering
cloud or linked services.
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13. Information Communications Technology
(ICT) in the UK: Public sector opportunities
• The UK government’s ICT strategy includes a strong
focus on cloud technologies.
• The G-Cloud Programme is changing how the public
sector buys and uses Information Technology (ICT). This
means more opportunities for companies to access
government contracts. It’s designed to support the
purchase of cloud based services.
• By 2015 half of all new ICT spending by the UK
government will be on public cloud services through the
G-Cloud programme. This provides new opportunities for
overseas companies looking to enter the market.
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14. Information Communications Technology
(ICT) in the UK: Private sector opportunities
• The main reasons for businesses using cloud services in the
UK are: flexibility in meeting business demands, quicker
disaster recovery, automation of software updates, increased
collaboration between employees, reduction of costs, low cost
of using cloud services.
• Small and medium sized UK companies are adopting cloud
into their businesses which often gives them an advantage
against competitors.
• Opportunities exist across all the different models of cloud
solutions, particularly the Software as a Service (SaaS)
market, where applications are hosted by a vendor or
service provider and made available to customers.
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15. Information Communications Technology
(ICT) in the UK: Private sector opportunities
• Other areas include: email, storage and sharing services,
unified communications (telephone, online chat), video-
conferencing solutions.
• Many businesses are using software tools such as Salesforce
automation and Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
and these continue to grow in the UK market. Other related
software in demand includes: marketing automation tools,
social media management, email marketing, web analytics.
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