Yearly Archives - 2017

04 Jul 2017

The £400 million Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund to boost full-fibre broadband deployment is now formally launched

In November 2016, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the creation of a new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund (DIIF) of £400 million, matched by private finance to invest in new full fibre networks over the next 4 years. After being announced again in the March 2017 Budget alongside other measures to boost investment in digital infrastructure, the Fund was formally launched yesterday.

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26 Jun 2017

Ofcom finds the Internet is still Open in the UK

Last week Ofcom published its first report to the European Commission under the ‘Connected Continent’ Regulation (2015/2120) on how UK operators are complying with the new Net Neutrality rules. The report was split into five sections on; quality of Internet Access Services, safeguarding open internet access, traffic management, transparency measures and complaints and remedies. Overall, Ofcom found no major concerns although it did highlight some points that merit further examination. (more…)

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23 May 2017

Tackling Barriers to Telecoms Infrastructure Deployment: Issues and Recommendations

The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) publishes a report on the practical barriers to deployment of telecoms infrastructure across the UK

  • The deployment of telecoms networks is hindered by the variety of approaches to planning regulations by local authorities
  • Practical steps could be taken by Government, local authorities and operators to create a uniform approach to planning and ultimately speed up the roll-out of broadband
  • Tackling these issues now is crucial to facilitate the deployment of future full-fibre and 5G infrastructure across the UK

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09 May 2017

Ofcom compares Quality of Service of broadband, mobile and landline services

Ofcom published last month its first report exploring the quality of service that customers from the largest landline, broadband and mobile providers received in 2016, and it was accompanied by an interactive tool designed for consumers. The “Comparing Service Quality??? report covers the consumer experience on reliability, performance and customer service. It found that most customers are satisfied with their service overall, though 13% of broadband customers lodged a complaint with their provider in the last 12 months, against 5% of landline and 4% of mobile customers.

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04 May 2017

Universality and Value for Money: Government Options for Designing the Broadband Universal Service Obligation

The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) publishes report on the design considerations for a broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO)

  • Designing the USO is extremely complicated but the cost threshold for each premise is extremely sensitive
  • BSG research shows that a cost threshold of between £1500-3000 maximises the net public benefit to the UK
  • To maximise the number of premises that can get access to good quality broadband through the USO demand, aggregation is needed
  • Where the cost of connecting premises is above the cost threshold then an alternative measure should be made available

The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) has today launched Impact of a Broadband USO in the UK, a report commissioned from Plum Consulting to analyse the impact of the design considerations of a potential broadband USO in the UK. This report complements the technical advice produced by Ofcom in December 2016 for Government.

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28 Apr 2017

BSG to launch report lowering barriers to telecoms infrastructure deployment

Lowering barriers to telecoms infrastructure deployment

Tuesday 23 May 2017 (10am to 12pm)

techUK, 10 St Bride St, London EC4A 4AD

The Broadband Stakeholder Group will be launching a report, commissioned from Analysys Mason that looks at the practical steps the UK can take to lower barriers to telecoms infrastructure deployment. The report makes a series of recommendations to central and local government, as well as operators, on how we can lower the burden on telecoms operators on issues such as permit and notice schemes and wider planning system pinch points.

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20 Apr 2017

Ofcom publishes consultation on opening up BT’s infrastructure

Following the launch of its consultations on the review of the wholesale local access (WLA) market, Ofcom published today detailed plans to improve access to Openreach’s underground ducts and poles (known as PIA – Physical Infrastructure Access) to competing providers of fibre broadband. The proposed measures are designed to boost investment in the next generation of ultrafast broadband and allow competitors to use existing infrastructure to build their own fibre networks at scale.

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12 Apr 2017

Broadband Stakeholder Group outlines Brexit implications on the digital communications sector

  • Brexit comes at a critical investment period for the digital communications sector as we upgrade to the next generation of fixed and wireless technologies
  • The UK Government can help preserve investors’ certainty by aligning with EU rules for the medium term and re-committing to current regulatory principles
  • Retaining the UK’s current capacity to attract talent and resources will be key for the sector

The Broadband Stakeholder Group today published their first report on the implications of Brexit for the Digital Communications Sector, which directly contributes £30.2bn to the UK economy.

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17 Mar 2017

BSG Comment – What does Brexit mean for the UK telecoms industry?

There is no straight answer to this question. The scale of the risks and opportunities for the telecoms industry depends on the future relationship between the UK, the EU and the rest of the world. The ramifications of decades of EU legislation, policies and initiatives in the UK system are difficult to untangle. However, it is possible to identify immediate concerns for the industry and how these could be tackled.

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10 Mar 2017

BT announces voluntary agreement to legally separate from Openreach

Ending a long period of negotiations with Ofcom, BT announced today its voluntary agreement to legally separate from Openreach. Ofcom confirmed that “it will no longer need to impose these changes through regulation??? as initially proposed last year and welcomed BT’s decision. This is a significant reform for the BT Group as Openreach will now become a distinct company with its own staff, brand and Board which will be able to make independent decisions on strategic investments affecting other telecoms providers.

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08 Mar 2017

Budget 2017 – more details on the Government’s full-fibre and 5G ambitions

Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his Budget 2017 speech today, reiterating the Government’s objective to put the UK “at the forefront of the global technology revolution???. The Chancellor announced further details on the £23 billion National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) presented in the Autumn Statement and on the new Government 5G Strategy launched today.

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