The UK Telecommunications Laboratory (“the Lab” —formerly the National Telecoms Lab) is a key element of the Government’s approach to investing in research and development activity that builds technical and commercial relationships between operators and suppliers. Work to establish the Lab is progressing at pace and we are consulting extensively with industry as part of that process. The Taskforce has also made the recommendations that the Government ensure the availability of independent testing facilities for security and verification testing. This is being considered as part of the scope and remit of the Lab. The Lab will provide new suppliers with access to environments where they can effectively demonstrate the performance and security capabilities of their products, in an interoperable environment. A key feature of the facility will be access to end-to-end networks that are sufficiently representative of real world UK deployments, in order to provide confidence to both operators and suppliers regarding the performance of incoming equipment.