Cellnex UK MD: AI could demand two to three times more upload capacity

AI adoption could require two to three times as much upload activity on mobile networks as typical use today, according to Cellnex UK Managing Director Steve Cray — a demand profile he believes UK infrastructure is not yet ready to meet.

Cray, who has spent more than two decades in the telecoms industry, said in an interview with Mobile Europe that the UK's ambitions for artificial intelligence will only translate into results if the underlying connectivity, power and transmission networks can support them.

"You can have the best AI systems in the world, but if you can't actually access them and use them on a day-to-day basis, that's obviously problematic," Cray said. "We need a much more joined-up approach that considers everything required, whether that's power, transmission networks, mobile connectivity or other infrastructure. All these things need to be looked at more holistically than perhaps they have been historically."

Cellnex UK is the British arm of the European tower infrastructure operator, which has recently been reshaping its portfolio — completing the sale of its Austrian assets for €803 million and agreeing to offload its Irish unit to Phoenix for €971 million.

Why does UK 5G lag behind Europe?

Much of the country's mobile infrastructure still dates from the 2G era. Operators have spent years modernising and replacing those networks while navigating mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and network-sharing agreements.

"The UK has been through a massive journey over those years as the infrastructure has been continually modernised and replaced," Cray explained. "The complexities of the UK market are both fascinating and sometimes really challenging."

The bar for what counts as good connectivity has also shifted. Earlier generations of mobile technology were judged on whether a call connected or a text arrived. Today's users expect to stream content, work and access the internet from almost anywhere.

Cray's assessment of where the UK stands is blunt. The country has historically prioritised coverage over quality, and that balance now needs to change.

"When you look at network quality in the UK on 5G, we still have some catching up to do compared with many other European countries," he said. Improving coverage alone, he argued, will not be enough to support the next generation of applications.

What does AI change for mobile networks?

The most significant shift AI could bring is the sheer volume of information networks will need to carry — and crucially, in which direction.

"Rather than just thinking about networks in terms of download speeds or coverage, we also need to consider upload capability," Cray said.

He estimates AI could drive two to three times the upload activity of typical current network use. The pressure will grow as AI moves beyond smartphones into wearables, connected vehicles and sensor-based applications — workloads where response times matter as much as throughput.

"Latency can be really important for some of those AI applications as well," he noted.

Cray pointed to 5G Standalone as one way to meet these requirements, given its ability to support ultra-low-latency services. But the technology only delivers if operators have the right sites and infrastructure in place to provide capacity where it is needed — the core of Cellnex's business case as a tower provider.

Consumer expectations, he added, have already hardened. "It's no longer a nice-to-have for people. They absolutely expect that that's what they're going to have available to them."

Who carries the responsibility?

If UK infrastructure fails to keep pace with the country's AI ambitions, Cray rejects the idea that blame should fall on government or operators alone. Both national and local government, alongside the telecommunications industry, have a role.

"There's a role really for both industry and government to play in that. And I think that's both in terms of national and local government as well," he said.

Local authorities matter because they control planning and approval for new infrastructure. National government must provide a regulatory environment that encourages investment. Industry, Cray cautioned, cannot be expected to deliver everything through commercial competition alone.

With AI traffic projections pointing sharply upward and UK 5G quality still trailing many European peers, the pressure is now on operators, towercos and policymakers to align investment with the timeline over which AI workloads become mainstream.