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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Mark Sweney

Vodafone says Labour must let it merge with Three UK to deliver nationwide 5G

The Vodafone CEO, Margherita Della Valle
Vodafone’s Margherita Della Valle says: ‘Everyone now talks about [things like] AI, all of these things cannot happen without good networks.’ Photograph: Vodafone/Reuters

The chief executive of Vodafone has said Labour will fail to achieve its promise of nationwide access to 5G, which is essential for next-generation technology such as artificial intelligence, by 2030 if the telecom company’s £15bn merger with the rival Three UK is blocked.

In its election manifesto, the government said nationwide coverage was needed by the end of the decade because the UK was falling behind other countries in terms of the investment and rollout of advanced mobile networks.

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