ANALYSIS & OPINION: FTTH IN EUROPE
ANOTHER LEVEL FOR UK CONNECTIVITY? THE INDUSTRY RESPONDS
A ROUND-UP OF SOME OF THE INDUSTRY’S RESPONSES TO THE UK GOVERNMENT’S CONNECTIVITY MISSION IN THE RECENT ‘LEVELLING UP’ WHITE PAPER
KEELY PORTWAY T
his week saw the launch – announced by UK Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove – of the government’s ‘Levelling Up’ white paper.
Te document sets out a plan to transform the
UK by ‘spreading opportunity and prosperity’ to every region. It sets out a complete ‘system change’ of how government works, which will be implemented to level up the UK. Geting to the detail, the white paper lays
out 12 national missions that are designed to be quantifiable, with a target date of 2030. Looking specifically at telecoms, the commitment in the document is that by 2030, the UK will have nationwide gigabit-capable broadband and 4G coverage, with 5G coverage for the majority of the population. Tis builds, said the white paper, upon the
existing commitment of £5bn in funding from Project Gigabit to help bring gigabit-capable broadband to 85 per cent of the UK by 2025 – announced in 2019 by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid – and the £1bn Shared Rural Network deal with mobile operators, which aims to deliver 4G coverage to 95 per cent of the UK by the end of 2025. Although it is not clear reading through the white paper itself whether additional funding will be available for this particular mission. Upon the white paper’s launch, Gove said:
‘Not everyone shares equally in the UK’s success. For decades, too many communities have been overlooked and undervalued. As some areas have flourished, others have been leſt in a cycle of decline. Te UK has been like a jet firing on
10 FiBRE SYSTEMS n SPRING 2022 n Issue 35
only one engine. Levelling Up and this white paper is about ending this historic injustice and calling time on the postcode lotery. Tis will not be an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but our 12 new national levelling up missions will drive real change in towns and cities across the UK, so that where you live will no longer determine how far you can go.’ Current UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, added: ‘It is a vision for the future that will see public spending on [research and development] increased in every part of the country; transport connectivity improving; faster broadband in every community; life expectancies rising; violent crime falling; schools improving; and private sector investment being unleashed.’ Responses from industry have been
somewhat mixed following the announcement on 2 February, but it has meant that people are talking about the importance of reliable, fast connectivity, and the role of fibre in providing this. Here are the responses we have received so far from industry spokespeople:
In response Clive Selley, CEO of UK provider Openreach, welcomed the announcement. He said: ‘Beter broadband is a massive catalyst for positive change. It boosts productivity, connects forgoten communities, helps people back into work and supports new sustainable business models and public services – so we’re pleased to see it’s a priority for government. At Openreach, we’re already investing billions of pounds to build ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre technology
to 25 million homes by 2026 – including a big commitment to rural Britain.’ Selley added that more could be done,
saying: ‘We’ve reached more than 6.5 million homes so far, but finishing the job – and going even further – will need government support. For example, they can act right now to speed up access to flats, social housing and private land across the country. Reaching 100 per cent of the country will also need more companies to join us and get involved in connecting rural communities with a mixture of satellite, wireless and fixed technologies.’ Greg Mesch, CEO at UK provider CityFibre,
also welcomed the commitment, and cited full fibre as the best way to achieve such connectivity targets. He said: ‘We’re delighted to see the role of digital infrastructure positioned so centrally in the government’s levelling up agenda and we welcome the continued political focus it will benefit from. Full fibre is the gold standard technology on which we must all remain focused. Its speed, reliability and ability to be upgraded easily over time is what sets it apart to unleash the highest levels of economic, social and environmental benefits. ‘Tanks to the emergence of digital
infrastructure competition, the industry is making great progress in its roll outs of full fibre networks. To maintain or exceed this pace, unlock productivity benefits even faster, and bring down prices for consumers, the government and Ofcom must continue to protect and nurture a healthy competitive market. With a £4bn full fibre investment
www.fibre-systems.com @fibresystemsmag
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