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Reducing regulatory burdens and improving broadband coverage
More than 3.5 million homes and businesses have now been reached by the Government’s nationwide rollout of superfast broadband.
The UK is “on track” to achieve superfast broadband (Internet speeds greater than 24 Mbps) connectivity to 95% of UK premises by the end of 2017 according to Minister for the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey. More than 3.5 million homes and businesses have now been reached by the Government’s nationwide rollout of superfast broadband.
While every home and business in the UK is now guaranteed a broadband service with speeds of at least 2Mbps, thanks to the industry funded rollout complemented by Government’s broadband delivery arm (BDUK) and the commercial sector, almost nine out of ten UK homes and businesses now have access to superfast speeds. The rollout – the fastest one of its kind anywhere in the world - is currently expected to pass the 4 million milestone in spring 2016.
The Minister correctly said that “fixed broadband is just part of the solution”. With enhancements in mobile technology combined with an improvement in coverage, mobile broadband (MBB) is a preferred solution by many. According to Ofcom, 15% of adults live in mobile-only home, with no fixed line for calls or connectivity.
In an industry with high infrastructure costs and increasing pressure on margins, Government and regulators have an important duty to do everything possible to reduce regulatory costs and burdens. In the case of mobile network infrastructure, MPs have also raised the issue of enabling taller mobile phone masts in the UK. The UK regulations are stricter than in the rest of Europe with 15 metres being the maximum height allowed under the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) regulations which are relatively light touch in comparison with full planning permission which is required for structures taller than the above threshold. If some of these masts could be raised higher by 10 metres, to say 25 metres height, this will improve the coverage in those areas significantly.
Satellite broadband is also another option due to its ubiquitous availability of high speed (and often superfast) broadband. With the cost of installation and subscription coming down, this is another option being preferred by users not just in rural and remote areas but also in the cities.
techUK has long argued for the reduction of regulatory burdens and consistency in terms of the planning regime for masts. Clearly there needs to be checks and balances to ensure that any societal concerns are covered. Nevertheless, particularly in rural areas, enabling taller masts should help to improve coverage in areas lacking it.
