UK lags behind in fibre broadband

UK still nowhere near top 10 European nations rolling out FTTH

The UK is yet to register in the top 10 European nations for rolling out fibre-optic broadband to households, according to research.

The survey by the Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council estimated year-on-year growth of the technology in Europe was 18 per cent, suggesting the recession has had little effect on FTTH rollouts.

Top of the adoption league is Sweden, followed by Norway, with Slovenia third. Neither France, Germany nor the UK appear in the top 10.

“This ranking is part of the effort we are making to push the FTTH agenda forward in Europe,” said Jan Schindler, marketing and intelligence committee (MIC) member responsible for the research.

“It will remain our job to promote fibre access and educate people about its benefits."

BT started its fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) rollout in July, intending to invest £1.5bn in the project. BY plans to make the technology available wholesale to other ISPs wanting to take connections from street cabinets directly into residential premises. FTTH rollout at BT is focused mainly on a small number of new-build housing developments.

Lord Carter's Digital Britain report in June recommended a "broadband tax" that would contribute about £175m a year to the cost of rolling out next-generation fibre infrastructure. However, the legislation has yet to be enacted by Parliament.