VodafoneThree has warned that the UK risks falling behind in the global AI race unless urgent improvements are made to the country’s mobile and telecoms infrastructure.
According to The Guardian, the telecoms giant revealed that while investment in AI and data centres is increasing, less attention is being given to the networks needed to support the expected growth in AI-related data traffic.
Andrea Donà, networks director at VodafoneThree, said the current quality of UK mobile networks is already a concern and warned that widespread AI use could place even greater pressure on them.
VodafoneThree Networks Director, told The Guardian: “If with the technology and services we use today [networks] are sub-optimal, imagine when you add mass AI usage and other associated activities,”
“I would go further. I am embarrassed today at the level of quality of our network[s]. The UK is worthy of what EE, O2 and VodafoneThree can offer, but we need reform.”
Donà compared the potential impact of AI traffic to the network congestion experienced at major concerts and sporting events.
He warned that what is currently an occasional problem could become a more regular experience as demand for data increases.
“What we see now only with a mass aggregation of people is a proxy, an indication of the things that will come. That [one-off] experience will be constant because of the additional capacity [consumers] will need in an AI world,” he said.
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