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The Government encourage mast and site sharing wherever possible, and network operators have an obligation under current planning procedures to demonstrate that they have considered all mast and site sharing options. Future sharing of network infrastructure would reduce the rate of growth of base station sites.
There is no current estimate of the number of additional mobile phone masts required to meet future demand of further generations of mobile telecommunications equipment. This is due to the fast moving nature of the telecommunications industry.
The actual number of base stations required in the future will depend on growth of demand and the availability of spectrum as well as the choice of technology available to meet that demand.