A parliamentary committee has warned that the UK is likely to miss its broadband and 5G targets, even after the government recently scaled those targets back.
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee published a report this week stating the industry has “no genuine belief” the UK will meet its commitments. The committee highlights that revised plans and reduced funding have left delivery uncertain.
Nationwide gigabit broadband was a central pledge when Prime Minister Boris Johnson took office, with an initial aim of achieving full coverage within five years. That ambition was curtailed after the government announced it would only make 25 percent of the previously pledged £5 billion available. In the November spending review, Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed a cut in spending and revised the rollout target to 85 percent coverage by 2025.
However, the DCMS Committee says even the lowered target will be difficult to meet:
“Even meeting the revised target will be a challenge, as it still requires industry to roll out infrastructure at considerable pace. As views differ on the technologies that should be used to deliver gigabit-capable broadband, the government must clarify its plans for delivering its targets, update us on progress over the coming years, and explain what the severe reduction in funding for infrastructure will mean and when it expects the remaining 15% of premises to be served with gigabit-capable broadband.”
The report attributes the shortfall largely to funding reductions and a “lack of effective planning.” As a result, the UK risks falling behind other countries that have moved more decisively to upgrade digital infrastructure.
While the committee acknowledges the fiscal pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, members said it was nevertheless surprising that only a quarter of the promised £5 billion would be distributed. That abrupt scaling back, they argue, has cost valuable time and made even the adjusted target harder to achieve.
The rollout of 5G networks is also off track. The report warns that without better planning and faster deployment, the UK could repeat the mobile coverage gaps that affected earlier generations of mobile service. The slow pace of full-fibre rollout will further impede 5G expansion, since fibre is a key enabler of modern mobile networks.
“Moreover, fibre will be a significant component of other gigabit-capable technologies, such as 5G, and therefore the challenges of rolling out a truly nationwide full-fibre network must not be underestimated.”
The DCMS Committee calls on government and Ofcom to act more quickly to resolve rollout issues affecting full-fibre and 5G deployment. It also raises ongoing concerns about market dynamics and the role of Openreach in delivering infrastructure at the required scale and pace.
Once seen as an early leader in European 5G deployment, the UK is now losing ground. The committee warns that without urgent and decisive action, the infrastructure promises made on the steps of Downing Street risk becoming another unmet policy pledge.
DCMS Committee Chair Julian Knight MP commented: “The Government’s decision to abandon its 2025 gigabit-capable broadband target within weeks of Ministers reassuring us of their commitment to it was a belated recognition that it was unrealistic and unachievable, underlining concerns we’d heard from industry. Valuable time has been lost, making meeting even the revised-down target a major challenge.”
(Image Credit: Number10 Downing Street by Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC under Open Government Licence v3.0)
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