As London grows, so does the need for reliable, high-speed, low-latency connectivity. I led a borough-wide mast densification and 5G strategy, ensuring that public services, businesses, and residents could benefit from next-generation mobile infrastructure.

Strategic Role

• Programme Leadership: Oversaw planning, procurement, and delivery of mast densification across East London, engaging directly with telecoms providers and legal teams to secure rights of use.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Liaised with local authorities, highways teams, and planning officers to balance technical requirements with public realm considerations.
• Future Connectivity: Positioned 5G as an enabler for smart city growth — including Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, predictive maintenance, and emergency service resilience.
• Timeframes: Negotiations and delivery for each mast typically required 12–18 months to complete, from initial agreements to operational switch-on.
• 5G Quadstack Masts: Introduced the new generation of 5G Quadstack masts, capable of supporting multiple networks and service layers on a single structure — reducing visual impact while improving coverage density.

Key Achievements

• Delivered collaborative frameworks with highways, planning, and legal services to streamline approvals and accelerate roll-out.
• Negotiated shared access agreements with telecoms partners, reducing duplication of infrastructure and ensuring cost efficiency.
• Strengthened resilience by embedding mast densification into the UK’s wider digital connectivity infrastructure, supporting smart city services, autonomous systems, and public safety networks.

Wider Benefits

This programme demonstrates how 5G infrastructure investment goes beyond faster mobile speeds:

• Residents: more reliable coverage, reduced “not spots”, better access to digital services.
• Businesses: low-latency connectivity for commerce, innovation, and growth.
• Visitors: seamless connectivity across public spaces, improving experience and safety.
• National Infrastructure: contributes to the UK’s long-term digital resilience, ensuring cities remain competitive, connected, and future-ready.

Ensuring residents had equal access to digital services was central to my housing inclusion work. I led borough-wide negotiations with Openreach and Community Fibre, securing Wayleave agreements covering over 4,000 social housing units.

Key Achievements

• Delivered full-fibre FTTP connectivity across thousands of homes at zero public cost, unlocking over £1.4M in investment (valued at £350 per property).
• Enabled digital inclusion at scale: improved access to education, employment, and online services for tenants and leaseholders.
• Future-proofed housing stock: ensuring connectivity aligns with regeneration and smart city ambitions.

Unlike many boroughs where negotiations stalled, I successfully brought providers, housing, and legal teams together under one framework, setting a standard for digital inclusion across London.