Broadband infrastructure in the UK is improving, with millions of homes now able to access fast download speeds that can stream full HD movies to their TVs in seconds. This Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology, which replaces older copper lines, unfolds at a pace in cities, but now it appears that more rural areas that were “bypassed” in the past are also getting this vital boost.
Ministers said it had just been confirmed that hundreds of thousands of rural homes and businesses with poor internet connections will get broadband as part of the Government's latest round of investment in internet infrastructure.
Around 312,000 rural properties across the UK will gain access to gigabit broadband internet thanks to £800 million investment to upgrade internet infrastructure as part of the Government's ongoing Project Gigabit.
The programme aims to deliver lightning-fast broadband across the UK by 2030. Currently, some consumers can only get speeds of around 40Mbps, which is not enough for modern needs.
The latest phase of the programme will cover rural Wales for the first time and involves a deal with telecoms provider Openreach.
For those who don't know, Openreach technology is used by some of the UK's biggest internet providers, including BT, Sky and Plusnet, to deliver broadband internet to millions of homes across the country.
Once installed, FTTP services can zip across the network at speeds of around 1,000Mbps, which is 10 times faster than the UK average. As more people work from home, stream content to TVs and download games, faster broadband is becoming increasingly important.
“Over the past decade, broadband rollout in the UK has clearly not moved fast enough and has left too many regions behind, particularly Scotland and Wales,” said technology minister Peter Kyle.
“Reliable digital infrastructure is essential for growth, productivity and competitiveness, and this deficit not only poses risks to our economic stability, but also perpetuates existing inequalities across the country.
“We are tackling this issue by delivering to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across the country, with a particular focus on areas that were not a priority for the previous government, such as Wales.
“Today marks a major milestone in delivering on our promise to redouble our efforts to achieve full gigabit coverage by 2030 and lay the foundations for a more inclusive, vibrant and prosperous future for all citizens.”
And Clive Selley, Openreach chief executive, added: “Research shows that whole fibre delivers a host of economic, social and environmental benefits and I believe we are the best in the industry at delivering this.”
“I am confident that by the end of the decade we will be able to reach up to 30 million homes if conditions remain favourable.”