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Sections
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Executive Summary
- Being Digital
- A Competitive Digital Communications Infrastructure
- Radio: Going Digital
- Creative Industries in the Digital World
- Public Service Content in Digital Britain
- Research, Education and Skills for Digital Britain
- Digital Security and Safety
- The Journey to Digital Government
- Delivering Digital Britain
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About this site
A Competitive Digital Communications Infrastructure
A Competitive Digital Communications Infrastructure
“If Lord Reith was right in his assertion that the broadcasting system should be a mirror of the nation’s conscience, then surely our ambition should be for a broadband system that is the engine of the nation’s mind.”
Lord Carter CBE
AMBITION: TO STRENGTHEN AND MODERNISE THE COUNTRY’S COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE, EQUIPPING THE UK TO COMPETE AND LEAD [...]
Fixed telecommunications networks
9. The fixed telecommunications network can be thought of in three distinct parts. At its apex sit the international links that connect the UK to the rest of the world. A massive up-grading of these connections with high capacity fibre optic cables took place over the period 1997-2000. In fact a substantial over-capacity was installed [...]
→ Read moreBusiness communications services
15. While the bulk of attention and public policy analysis (including in this report) is focused on domestic and small business consumers, the communications market for our medium to larger businesses is a quite distinct market. It is also an extremely important one. The availability of high-specification, resilient, bespoke communications services and managed private networks [...]
→ Read moreConclusions
20. The UK can overall reasonably claim to have a satisfactory broadband infrastructure and market structure. It has been quite a journey. When the Internet started it was largely running on telephone modems delivering data at 14.4 Kbps. The bandwidth went up in jumps until, at 56/64 Kbps, the telephone modem had to give way [...]
→ Read moreThe Universal Service Commitment (USC)
What does the USC look like?
32. During the recent European Framework negotiations the UK has worked to secure amendments to the Universal Service Directive that permit national authorities to designate functional Internet access at bandwidths deemed appropriate to the market. When finalised, this will remove the previous constraint on Universal Service Obligations as being confined [...]
UK broadband availability
Our analysis of broadband availability is as follows:
We estimate that today c.89% of homes can readily get a 2Mbps (or higher) broadband service from cable, ADSL or wireless means. This means that c.11%, or about 2.75m, homes cannot readily get a 2Mbps (or higher) broadband service today.
We believe the main reasons that prevent these 2.75m [...]
The funding and contribution structure
36. In Budget 2009 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that
“… the Government will pursue Universal Service in broadband, at a speed of 2 Megabits per second, by no later than 2012. This target will allow virtually everyone to experience the benefits of broadband, including the increasing delivery of public services online…The Government will consult [...]
Delivery process and next steps
38. Our priorities in determining the approach to delivery will be:
Coverage – 2Mbps to virtually every household in the UK (in addition, mobile will have a role to play in providing broadband coverage at different speeds, as set out later in this chapter).
Provision – Those currently unable to receive a service will be given priority.
Technology [...]
Next generation broadband
42. Universal availability of today’s network is a necessary, but not sufficient step in delivering the sort of digital infrastructure we want for the UK. We also need to see tomorrow’s network available widely across the country in the coming years.
43. Like the UK, Governments around the world are grappling with what should be the [...]
Major international broadband developments
Finland
In December 2008 the Finnish Government published a commitment that by 2010 a universal service of 1Mbps would be available to all Finnish residents. This commitment was technology neutral, and allowed for the delivery of the service through either fixed or wireless connection. The Finnish Parliament, has amended the Communications Market Act to put this [...]
