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Ambitious plans for universal broadband access
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THE NUMBER OF UK PROPERTIES unable to get a decent broadband connection has fallen by one million over the past year, new research by Ofcom has found.
But 1.4 million UK homes and offices, or 5 % of properties, remain unable to sign up for broadband speeds over 10 Mbit / s, the speed required to meet a typical household’ s digital needs. This is down from around 2.4 million, or 8 %, last year.
The findings are part of Ofcom’ s Connected Nations 2016 report, an in-depth look at the state of the UK’ s telecoms and wireless networks. This year’ s report shows good progress on the availability and take-up of communications services, which are crucial to people’ s personal and working lives.
However, the report finds there is much more to do, particularly in boosting mobile and broadband coverage, and improving the quality of service provided by telecoms companies.
To help close this speed gap, Ofcom has set out its technical advice for the UK Government on implementing its plans for universal broadband.
Steve Unger, Ofcom Group Director, said:“ Mobile and broadband coverage continued to grow this year, but too many people and businesses are still struggling for a good service. We think that is unacceptable.
“ So we’ re challenging mobile operators to go beyond built-up areas, and provide coverage across the UK’ s countryside and transport networks. We’ ve also provided technical advice to support the Government’ s plans for universal, decent broadband.”
ACHIEVING DECENT, UNIVERSAL BROADBAND
The number of properties lacking access to decent broadband has fallen significantly in recent years, and is likely to fall further, given on-going investments by industry and Government.
But the universal service would ensure every home and small business in the country has the right to a decent, affordable broadband connection of 10 Mbit / s or above by the end of the current parliament.
Government has said its preference is for the universal service to be funded by industry. Under this model, the companies providing the universal service would recover any unfair cost burden from a fund paid into by a range of telecoms companies.
A THIRD OF PROPERTIES ARE NOW‘ SUPERFAST’
The coverage and quality of broadband across the UK has increased significantly over the past year, the Connected Nations report finds.
Superfast broadband is now available to nine in ten UK homes small businesses( 89 %, or 25.5 million), up from 83 % last year.
Superfast services are now available to 80 % of small and medium sized enterprises or SMEs( almost 1.9m) – up from 68 % in 2015. However, 15 % of the UK’ s SMEs are in concentrated areas such as business parks, of which 36 % do not have superfast speeds, and 11 % cannot receive 10 Mbit / s.
MOBILE REVEALS A MIXED PICTURE Seven in ten premises( 72 %) can now receive a 4G mobile signal indoors from all four networks, up from just 28 % last year, as operators continue to roll out faster mobile broadband.
Ofcom rules mean that O2 must deliver a mobile data service to 98 % of UK premises by the end of next year, and other operators are expected to follow in order to remain competitive.
However, availability across the UK’ s landmass remains low. Many people in rural areas, and those travelling by car and train, suffer from poor mobile signals.‘ Total’ geographic 4G coverage, where a signal is available from all four operators, is available in just 40 % of the UK landmass – though this is up from 8 % in 2015.
INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS
Ofcom has also published its International Communications Market Report 2016, which compares communications services in up to 19 major countries.
Among these, the UK has the fifth best availability of broadband services offering 10 Mbit / s or above – ahead of almost all European countries, but behind Singapore, Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands.
The UK also performs well on the availability of broadband connections involving fibre optic cables – such as fibre running to the street cabinet – ranking fifth behind the Netherlands, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
However, Ofcom remains concerned that the UK has very low coverage of‘ full fibre’ broadband, where cable and fibre lines connect directly to homes and offices. Here the UK ranks seventeenth out of 19 countries.
The UK performs well on prices, ranking second – out of five major European countries, plus the USA – for the cheapest communication services.
Source: ofcom. org. uk
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