Three per cent of UK still on sub-2Mbps broadband, says Ofcom report - UPDATED

Broadband 'an integral part to our everyday lives' says Juniper Networks

Three per cent of premises in the UK still receive internet speeds of less than 2Mbps, while 15 per cent have speeds no higher than 10Mbps, a new report from Ofcom has revealed.

This shows that 18 per cent of UK premises are not benefiting from a reasonable data connection to the modern internet.

A huge gap between speeds has also been recorded, with some users receiving only 0.1Mbps, while others get 350Mbps.

The government wants 95 per cent of UK premises to be able to access superfast broadband - 30Mbps - by 2017.

The figure currently stands at 75 per cent, but Ofcom says only 21 per cent of the population currently get 30Mbps.

Some 40,000 premises a week are gaining superfast broadband, but Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) infrastructure - BT's commonly-used NGA (next generation access) connection method - does not always deliver the speeds required to meet the 30Mbps standard.

The ongoing problem is that the distance between customer and cabinet is often too long to maintain the target speeds.

Other upgrade options are available, but are still only ongoing plans. The ‘G.Fast' scheme should be capable of delivering high speeds over shorter lengths of copper.

800Mbps has been achieved at trial level, with speeds above 1Gbit/s feasible. New equipment needs placing at distribution points closer to customer premises.

Cable networks, says Ofcom, can also be upgraded through the adoption of DOCSIS3.1 (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) and the physical rearrangement of networks that meet the standard, which does away with 6MHz and 8MHz channel spectra in order to achieve a 200MHz spectrum in a compressed way. This plan also could deliver 1Gbit/s or higher.

The report discusses how FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) represents the most promising overhaul, but is currently only offered ‘on demand' by BT per-premise, alongside Fibre to the Cabinet.

The uptake, says BT, is very limited so far.

Specific enterprise broadband usage is seeing marginally more encouraging uptake, with Ofcom stating that "in some areas business coverage is being explicitly considered in rollout plans."

But, "the superfast broadband rollout projects in Cornwall and North Yorkshire are not yet complete," says the report, "and both incorporate ambitions to provide coverage to businesses as well as residential customers."

Some business parks in the UK still "lack fibre connectivity" says Ofcom, and are "outside current NGA upgrade plans".

Ofcom also suggests that high speed broadband may be better delivered to businesses by "dedicated lease share" across companies than by waiting for BT to improve FTTC or cable infrastructure.

David Noguer Bau, senior manager at Juniper Networks, told Computing that he believes access to bradband is "an integral part to our everyday lives".

"In fact, the United Nations has declared broadband a basic human right due to the profound effects it can have on our lifestyle," he added.

Noguer Bau believes that broadband connectivity is "no longer considered a luxury", and is now a necessity, and network speed and capacity should be "specifically cultivated" with the end-user in mind, with the aim of everybody receiving an even level of quality, regardless of location.

"We know the majority of the investment must happen in the last mile(s), but there is also a substantial piece of investment in the core of the networks," said Noguer Bau.

"To combat these issues, service providers need to be innovative and consider options like virtualisation, which will deliver more capacity and elasticity. This will allow them to be agile, without fear of losing money in big investments. Working together to strengthen connectivity across the UK is in everyone's interest. Ultimately, robust broadband not only directly impacts the quality of life for the everyday person, it can have profound effects on education, social engagement and the economy."