UK broadband update April 2017

Ofcom published proposals for improving access to Openreach’s duct and pole infrastructure for other operators to make it easier and cheaper to provision fibre services to homes and businesses, reducing the country’s historical reliance on Openreach. Key aspects include ensuring access on fair terms, making sure that ducts are ready for use and that capacity is available on poles, and allowing mixed-use networks, where providers can lay fibre for consumers and large businesses, provided the purpose of the network is primarily to deliver broadband to homes and small offices.

Ofcom’s detailed proposals note that “other institutions such as schools and council buildings, as well as other applications such as CCTV networks, are increasingly demanding point-to-point services” and also that “there is likely to be geographic overlap between demand for leased lines and demand for ultrafast broadband.” Ofcom’s proposals form part of its work to promote the roll-out of ultrafast full fibre networks, which also includes its work to separate Openreach from BT. The consultation closes on 15 June 2017, and Ofcom expects to publish its final decisions in early 2018, with new rules taking effect on 1 April 2018.

The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) published a new report outlining the implications of Brexit for the UK’s digital communications sector. The report flags that the timing of Brexits is “particularly acute” as the sector gears up for the transition to the next phase of communications technologies in the form of 5G and ultrafast broadband. It calls for the Government to minimise risks to investment and innovation and ensure that the UK can continue to compete globally; ensuring regulatory certainty is key to this and the report recommends that the Government should align with current EU rules in the medium term. Out-Law reported that the UK government has been asked by Parliament’s European Scrutiny Committee to clarify its approach to implementing policies set out in the EU's Digital Single Market strategy in light of Brexit.

The Countryside Alliance published a policy document calling for the Government to be “at least as ambitious as the EU in digital connectivity in future and where possible look to exceed EU targets.” It also acknowledged the importance of European funding for broadband projects such as the Superfast Cornwall programme and suggested that leaving the EU will give Ofcom greater autonomy.

Public Technology and Ars Technica reported on the passage through the House of Lords of the Digital Economy Bill, which will now return to the House of Commons to consider the amendments made by peers (more on this here). Later in the month both Public Technology and BBC News suggested that the Bill is likely to be passed as part of the wash-up process of pending legislation in the run up to the snap general election on 8th June 2017.

Point Topic published an update on UK superfast and ultrafast developments, in the light of the Government’s full-fibre and 5G ambitions.  The provision of superfast services by operators other than BT continues to grow: Internet service providers using the Openreach network had 2,444,000 superfast lines at the end of December 2016 between them. This compares with 1,982,000 at the end of June 2016 and 1,803,000 at the end of 2015. Point Topic also estimates that BT Consumer is very close to overtaking Virgin Media in the supply of superfast broadband services.

Other developments this month:

• OpenSignal published its latest findings on the state of UK mobile networks, analysing how 4G and 3G availability and data speeds vary across the country. The study found significant improvements in 4G availability; EE was the first UK operator to pass OpenSignal’s 70% signal availability threshold in the tests.
• The City of London Corporation announced a new 15 year contract with Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Ltd in partnership with O2 to deliver a free, public access WiFi network, offering internet access anywhere within the Square Mile.
• Cable reported that only one of the country’s top 20 developers said fibre broadband was available at all of the properties built by them in the past year following an investigation by the site.
• CCS Insight reported that one in 10 UK households will be buying bundled mobile services, broadband, pay-TV and fixed telephony all from the same provider by the end of 2017. This is double the number from the end of 2015 and the number will double yet again by 2021.
• BBC News reported on the Balquhidder community broadband project in Stirlingshire, which will connect about 200 households and businesses via a self-installed 22-mile fibre broadband network.