The UK government has published its Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, outlining a strategy to deliver what it calls “world-class” connectivity across the country.
The report begins by reviewing recent broadband progress. It notes the government met its target in December last year to provide superfast broadband—currently defined as above 24 Mbps—to 95 percent of UK premises. The government has also enacted a Universal Service Obligation that gives every household and business the right to request a broadband connection of at least 10 Mbps.
On mobile coverage, 87 percent of the UK landmass can now receive a 4G signal from at least one operator, up from 78 percent in 2017. Some commentators, however, argue the government’s targets lack ambition. In 2016, Simon Walker of the Institute of Directors pointed out that some cities are deploying 10 Gbps networks—thousands of times faster—and urged the UK to aim further ahead than the basic universal service obligation if it wants to remain a leader in the digital economy.
Looking Further Ahead
This is the first telecoms review under the new Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright. Wright replaced Matt Hancock, who was appointed Health Secretary earlier this month. Commenting on the review, Wright said:
“We want everyone in the UK to benefit from world-class connectivity no matter where they live, work or travel.
This radical new blueprint for the future of telecommunications in this country will increase competition and investment in full fibre broadband, create more commercial opportunities and make it easier and cheaper to roll out infrastructure for 5G.”
The review warns that without significant change the UK will achieve, at best, about 75 percent coverage with full Fibre-To-The-Premises (FTTP) broadband—and that reaching this level could take more than 20 years. For a modern economy, such limited full-fibre coverage would constrain digital growth and innovation unless decisive action is taken.
Most UK broadband today is Fibre-To-The-Cabinet (FTTC), where the “last mile” to premises is delivered over copper, yielding maximum downstream speeds currently around 80 Mbps. FTTP, by contrast, supports gigabit-capable services. The government intends to phase out copper to avoid the inefficiency and extra cost of operating parallel networks, and considers it realistic that the majority of the country will complete the switchover by 2030.
Playing Catch-Up
Full-fibre deployment in the UK remains limited: only about 4 percent of connections are FTTP, placing the country behind peers such as Spain (71 percent), Portugal (89 percent), and France (28 percent). To narrow this gap, the review proposes regulatory and policy changes designed to promote investment and streamline rollouts.
Measures include requirements for new housing developments to be built with full-fibre connections and granting operators a right of access to flats, business parks, office blocks and other tenanted properties so renters can obtain reliable, fast connectivity. Regulations will be adjusted to encourage infrastructure investment, not hinder it—for example, by introducing a standardised national framework to reduce the cost, time and disruption of streetworks, and by making it easier to access existing infrastructure such as ducts, poles, pipes and sewers.
Evan Wienburg, CEO of FTTP provider TrueSpeed, welcomed the push for full-fibre but urged a level playing field for all infrastructure providers. He warned that public funds have sometimes been wasted where incumbent providers build networks in areas where privately funded providers already operate. Wienburg called on the government to work closely with industry on regulatory and policy changes and to act swiftly, saying prompt decisions are essential if the UK is to secure the digital future it needs.
The review acknowledges that reaching nationwide full-fibre coverage will likely require additional public support—estimated between £3 billion and £5 billion—to stimulate commercial investment in the final 10 percent of areas, many of which are rural. It stresses these communities should not be forced to wait until the rest of the country is connected before gaining access to gigabit-capable networks.
The government also plans to work with regulator Ofcom to free up spectrum and enable innovative 5G services to be deployed more readily. Ofcom Chief Executive Sharon White welcomed the review and said the regulator shares the ambition for full-fibre and 5G networks across the UK. She emphasized that government, Ofcom and industry will continue to collaborate to ensure people and businesses get the broadband and mobile services required for the 21st century.
The UK is investing heavily in advanced sectors such as artificial intelligence to remain globally competitive, but those ambitions depend on a resilient digital infrastructure of high-speed broadband and 5G. The review makes clear the government recognises current shortfalls and sets out the policy directions needed to accelerate full-fibre rollout, improve mobile coverage and encourage investment.
A full copy of the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review is available from the government’s publications (PDF).
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