From Evidence to Action: What the Government's Tech Findings Mean for Telecoms

Natalie Strange

Managing Director @ RPS Telecom

July 13, 2026

The Government’s recently published findings from its call for evidence, Building a Future Tech Sector That Works for Everyone, should be required reading for anyone involved in technology, telecoms or digital infrastructure.

While the report focuses on the wider UK tech sector, its findings are highly relevant to telecoms. Our industry is central to the UK’s digital economy. It underpins how people communicate, how businesses operate, how public services function and how future technologies are delivered.

That means the question of who enters, stays, progresses and leads in this sector really matters.

The report confirms what many women working across technology already know from experience: the issue is not a lack of talent. The issue is whether the industry is creating the right conditions for that talent to be seen, supported and retained.

The Evidence is Clear

The Government findings highlight that women are less likely to enter the tech sector, less likely to stay, and less likely to progress into leadership. The report also notes that only 21% of senior tech role holders are women or non-binary.

That statistic should give every part of the technology sector pause for thought.

Leadership representation matters because it influences what people believe is possible. If women do not see people like themselves in senior roles, technical roles, boardrooms, investment conversations, policy discussions and industry panels, it becomes harder to picture themselves there too.

This is not about optics. It is about ambition, confidence and access to opportunity.

Culture Cannot Be Ignored

One of the most important findings in the report is the role of workplace culture. Nearly three quarters of respondents said improving team and organisational culture would support women’s entry, progression and leadership in tech.

That matters because conversations about diversity often focus heavily on recruitment. Recruitment is important, but it is only one part of the challenge. Bringing more women into the industry means very little if the environment they enter does not allow them to thrive.

The report highlights issues including male-dominated cultures, bias in recruitment and progression, unequal access to networks, discrimination, microaggressions and lack of psychological safety. These are not minor issues. They directly affect whether people feel able to contribute, challenge, develop and lead.

For telecoms, this should be a moment to reflect honestly. The industry has many brilliant people and many businesses doing positive work, but we also have to acknowledge where traditional structures, informal networks and outdated assumptions may still be holding people back.

Future Skills Must Be Inclusive

The findings also come at an important time for the sector. Emerging technologies are already changing the skills, roles and career pathways required to succeed.

Almost all respondents said emerging technologies are changing the skills required in their organisation or sector, and nearly three quarters said these changes are already affecting who applies for and succeeds in tech roles.

This is particularly relevant to telecoms. AI, automation, cloud communications, cyber resilience, data, networks and digital infrastructure are changing how our industry operates. These changes create opportunity, but they also create risk.

If access to training, technical development, mentoring and emerging roles is not fair, existing inequalities will become more embedded. The people who are already visible, already confident and already well-connected will be more likely to benefit from the next wave of opportunity.

The future of telecoms needs a broader range of voices and experiences. It needs technical expertise, but it also needs commercial understanding, communication skills, ethical judgement, creativity, operational knowledge and lived experience. The skills needed for the future are wider than many traditional career pathways have recognised.

Career Paths Are Changing

Another important theme in the report is the need to better support non-linear careers. Respondents highlighted that career breaks, caring responsibilities, rapid changes in skills and expectations of continuous availability can disproportionately affect women. The report also found that 77.9% of respondents believed return-to-work interventions would improve retention. This is something our industry needs to take seriously.

Careers do not always follow a straight line. People take time out, change direction, enter the sector later, move between technical and non-technical roles, return after parental leave or build skills through alternative routes.

These paths should not be treated as weaknesses. They often bring resilience, perspective, adaptability and experience that are hugely valuable to employers.

If telecoms wants to attract and retain the best people, it needs to recognise that talent does not come from one route and leadership does not look one way.

Practical Action Is Needed

The report is clear that awareness alone is not enough. Respondents pointed to the importance of practical interventions, including training, upskilling, mentoring, sponsorship, apprenticeships, internships, returnships and clearer career pathways.

This is where employers, industry bodies and professional networks all have a role to play.

Businesses should be looking at how people are recruited, developed, promoted and supported. They should be asking whether access to opportunity is fair, whether flexibility is genuinely embedded, whether career development is visible and whether future skills programmes are reaching the people who need them most.

Industry groups can help create visibility, connection and momentum, but lasting change has to be built into the way organisations operate.

Why This Matters For Telecoms

Telecoms is not a side part of the technology conversation, it is one of the foundations of it.

As the UK continues to invest in digital infrastructure and emerging technologies, the people shaping those decisions must reflect the society they serve. If women and underrepresented groups are not part of that future, the sector loses talent, perspective and innovation.

The Government findings should therefore be seen as both evidence and challenge. They show that progress is needed, but they also show where action can make a difference.

For me, as Co-Chair of Women in Telecoms, the message is clear: we need to move beyond simply acknowledging the problem. The focus now has to be on practical, sustained action that helps women enter the industry, stay in the industry, progress through the industry and lead the industry.

That means better visibility. Better access to networks. Better career development. Better support for returners. Better routes into technical and leadership roles. Better workplace cultures.

Most importantly, it means recognising that inclusion is not separate from business success. It is central to building a stronger, more innovative and more resilient sector.

The future of telecoms will be shaped by the people who are given the opportunity to contribute to it. We need to make sure that future works for everyone.