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Building the Future...
Fixed and mobile broadband networks are an essential part of the infrastructure for
our future economic growth. Through BDUK, the Government is injecting £830 million
of funding -
But it’s far from clear what form the infrastructure should take, or how the investment should be applied.
GreySky is supporting the strategic analysis of some of these decisions -
Rural broadband networks
Many rural areas still have significant numbers of homes and businesses with no access to adequate broadband services. The Digital Britain Report determined that 2 Mbps was the minimum acceptable speed for broadband services, and there is an ongoing acceptance that everyone should be able to access these services as a minimum.
The problem is that providing superfast broadband to the majority of people in the
UK will still leave many of those with inadequate services in rural areas with no
change -
To solve the problem of rural broadband will be expensive, and many say that this
investment should be in fibre -
Thought -
<2 Mbps
2 -
4 -
>6 Mbps
0%
20%
40%
60%
Availability of broadband in rural district.
GreySky analysis of BT Wholesale data from SamKnows.com
Mobile broadband
Mobile data services are becoming increasingly important. The mobile networks are starting to carry more data than voice signals, and WiFi is increasingly important to broadband services. The 4G spectrum auctions represent a critical convergence point.
4G mobile services will enable mobile services with speeds approaching existing fixed
broadband services. Ofcom are managing the auction of the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrums,
and are aiming to enforce maximum geographic coverage of the new services -
Ofcom have proposed an obligation to provide coverage for at lest 95% of the UK population for one of the 4G spectrum bands. Debate has already suggested that this is not sufficient, and should be increased to 98%. GreySky’s analysis suggests that the currently proposed approach is seriously flawed and unlikely to produce the desired result.
