Ofcom has this week published their Annual Plan for 2016/2017, outlining their planned initiatives to deliver the best outcomes for consumers in the context of changes in the market and ongoing reviews of regulatory frameworks both at UK and EU levels. (more…)
The Broadband Stakeholder Group has agreed it work programme for 2016/17.
The key themes for this year are:
The full work programme can be found below. Stay up to date with our progress on these issues via our newsletter (which you can subscribe to below).
On Monday 14 March, the Broadband Stakeholder Group hosted an event to discuss the Government’s intention to make sure that “every home and business can have access to fast broadband by the end of this Parliament???. The event explored how any target for universal coverage should be framed, the actions needed to meet that target and what lessons can be learned from other countries.
Government has today launched its consultation on a Universal Service Obligation for broadband. The consultation acknowledges that a USO is a safety net for those who do not have access to super or ultrafast speed to ensure that everyone is able to participate in our digital society. This follows on the Prime Minister’s commitment last year that the UK would have a USO of 10 Mbit/s. This level is backed up by Ofcom in their latest Connected Nations Report.
Ofcom today published their draft statement on the Business Connectivity Market Review (BCMR). Whilst Ofcom need to consult the European Commission before making their final conclusions it is unlikely that this will cause a significant delay, with the final statement expected next month.
In the last quarter of 2015, the European Commission kick-started its review of the regulatory framework for telecoms and also consulted on the EU speed and quality targets beyond 2020. The ambitious consultations covered a wide range of EU policies, Directives and Regulations crucial to the development of the Digital Single Market. Earlier this month, the Commission published a summary of the responses ahead of the proposals due later this year.
The Government’s much trumpeted* £150m Mobile Infrastructure Project (MIP) will close later this month. It has only succeeded in deploying around 60 mobile masts in mobile not-spots at a total cost of under £10m. For those living or commuting through those areas, then the new mobile coverage from all four operators is no doubt eagerly received. But given the project was originally scheduled to deliver between 550-600 sites, there is no doubt it has fallen short of its original goals.
Ofcom today published their initial conclusions from the Digital Communications Review that they kicked off last year. Whilst these are officially their interim findings, the direction of travel is relatively clear; over the next 10 years, the UK will move towards an increasingly all-fibre future, with widespread availability of competing fibre networks driving the take-up of ultrafast services underpinned by a USO. Against the background of convergence, Ofcom will do more to make it easier to compare quality of service across fixed, mobile and bundled offers. Openreach understandably lies at the heart of much of this and whilst BT will be sure to feel additional pain, Ofcom are not proposing full structural separation, yet.
Earlier this month, a survey by the Manufacturer’s Association (EEF) found that internet connectivity was increasingly central to manufacturer’s operations and that Britain’s success in leading the fourth industrial revolution relied on improvements to affordability and internet infrastructure. In a keynote speech at the EEF annual conference today, Business Secretary Sajid Javid announced the review of business broadband “to reduce the barriers to affordable, high-quality fibre-broadband???.
…and the winner is…
A survey recently conducted by EEF (the Manufacturers’ Association) in the last quarter of 2015 found that the majority of respondents consider internet connectivity increasingly central to their operations and a boost to their productivity. Whilst the research found that the current infrastructure is adequate to meet their current business needs, manufacturers are concerned about the UK’s potential to compete at international level; the EEF claims that Britain’s success in leading the fourth industrial revolution depends on improvements to affordability and internet infrastructure.
The Government published this week their findings on the feasibility and deployment of 7 test pilots schemes set up to explore alternative technologies and business cases to deploy superfast broadband (24Mib/s) to the hardest-to-reach areas. The report found that non-fibre based suppliers can deliver good quality superfast connections, hybrid solutions are viable technically and commercially and that smaller internet service providers can compete successfully with the larger providers such as BT Openreach to win public procurement contracts.
Pushing for Universal Broadband Coverage: What do we mean and how do we get there?
The Government has announced its intention to make sure that “every home and business can have access to fast broadband by the end of this Parliament???. This would go beyond the current BDUK targets for superfast broadband to 95% of premises and build on the Universal Service Obligation of 2 Mbit/s. This event will bring together industry and policy makers to discuss how best to facilitate coverage to the areas which are by definition the least commercially viable, with the debate including issues such as public funding, State Aid, community-led scheme, debt-financing and the creation of a Universal Service Obligation.
Under a new voluntary Ofcom Code, Internet Service Providers commit to give businesses “clearer, more accurate and transparent information on broadband speeds before they sign up to a contract???. If the promised upload and download speeds fall below the guaranteed levels, businesses will be able to leave their contract with no penalties.
In March 2015, Lloyds Bank published its second UK Business Digital Index highlighting the various factors contributing to the slow move towards becoming digital for a significant portion of SMEs. Last week, the first UK Consumer Digital Index was launched, establishing the link between digital and financial capability and investigating It found that £3.7bn of online savings for consumers could be made if the digitally and financially excluded were to realise online opportunities.
