The UK telecommunications market is both highly competitive and highly saturated. The mobile-phone penetration rate was above 145% in 2014, limiting scope for further growth on the revenue side to pricier data services, and on the hardware side to handset upgrades and replacements. The UK was one of the first countries to auction frequencies for third-generation (3G) mobile services in 2000. It was slower with fourth-generation (4G), launching a restricted 4G offering in 2012 and commencing a full rollout in 2013 following the conclusion of the 4G auction.
The auctions are designed to promote competition. In November 2014 Ofcom proposed a safeguard cap that limits the holding of spectrum by mobile operators to 37%.
Mobile telecoms account for the majority of telecoms connections in the UK— The Economist Intelligence Unit estimates the number of mobile subscriptions to have been almost 94m in 2014. We expect a period of steady but unspectacular mobile subscription growth in 2015-19. The rate of growth has slowed markedly since 2005. According to Ofcom, 93% of UK adults used a mobile phone in the first quarter of 2014.

Telecommunications report 2

Mobile 2

Fixed 4

Internet 5

Industry publishing schedule 9

中国科学技术信息研究所