sites reportedly had gone live. The delays could be blamed on several reasons:• It was alleged that Arqiva had not provided detailed roll-out plans or timescales for the development of the mast sites.• Some of the sites had to undergo lengthy consultation processes to get the necessary planning approvals for the mast construction.• There were technical challenges in getting an adequate power supply (3-phase electricity) to some of the most remote sites.• It was challenging to secure backhaul circuits to connect some of the most remote sites.The UK’s telecommunication regulator, Ofcom, played an important role in identifying the location of not-spots and continued to support the government in delivering MIP33. It is too early to tell whether MIP has been successful in eradicating not-spots, but it is clear that a project of this scale is challenging and requires detailed upfront planning, coordination and stakeholder management. The key lessons and take-aways have been summarized below. Case study: National Broadband Scheme (NBS), Ireland This PPP project was chosen for this chapter because it was one of the earliest schemes to use private a DBO model to improve basic broadband connectivity in rural areas. The fact that it has been fully implemented provides many useful lessons. The project also awarded a contract to a mobile provider rather than a fixed provider, providing useful insights to regulators and governments in developing markets, where mobile services are more popular than fixed services.10 Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016 Box 1.1: Key lessons from the Mobile Infrastructure Project (MIP)• The UK regulator Ofcom played an important role in identifying the location of not-spots and continued to support the government in delivering MIP.• The award of state funds to develop broadband infrastructure should require operators to share their network infrastructure on a wholesale basis to promote competition and reduce costs.• Government interventions should aim to fund the construction of passive infrastructure in areas where there is no competing infrastructure. • Amendments to legislation and regulation involving the deployment of networks can reduce “red tape” and speed up delivery.• Stakeholder communications are vital in ensuring all industry players are familiar with the design plans for the project, allowing MNOs to coordinate their own radio planning and service delivery plans.• Private operators should work closely with the industry and key stakeholders to anticipate and overcome the technical challenges of providing power and communications before they become an issue.• A competitive tender process will ensure that the government achieves a solution that both meets its technical requirements and represents value for money for its citizens.• A single, coordinated, national roll-out (as opposed to a patchwork of broadband networks) can create implementation synergies, thus reducing the government's overall funding requirement.