Future of UK high-speed broadband becomes clearer

By Bruce Stevens Staff Writer Thursday, 27 September 2007

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THE future of broadband speeds in Britain is starting to become clearer as Ofcom wades into the debate on how the UK should roll out high speed broadband.

The regulator has started a 3 month consultation to investigate ways to keep UK broadband speeds on par with other developed nations.

The UK is already far behind other European countries like France, Germany and the Netherlands where investment in vast fibre-optic networks is allowing web users to experience speeds of up to 100Mbps.

The fastest speed available in Britain at the moment is 24Mbps and is only offered by one provider, Be. However, the average UK broadband speed is just 4.6Mbps.

As the debate about the future of high-speed broadband hits fever pitch, the picture is beginning to look clearer as to how things may pan out.

Currently, the next generation of ADSL – called ADSL2+ - is to begin rolling out early next year, so in time most UK broadband users will be able to enjoy faster speeds than those currently offered.

Additionally, Virgin Media is trialling 50Mbps broadband speeds on its cable network and if successful, will see the company – who are the UK’s only cable broadband providers – gain a massive foothold on the high-speed broadband market.

But it is the proposal of how the entire country’s infrastructure should be changed that is causing most excitement.

Proposals for a massive installation of a £10bn nationwide fibre optic network has got broadband users licking their lips.

Such a network would offer speeds of up to 50Mbps to most homes, but critics have warned that rural areas may well suffer as the economics of laying a network in low populated areas would almost certainly create a two-tier broadband population.

There is also a more expensive option, called ‘fibre to home’ which would promise speeds of up to 100Mbps.

While the government has hinted that it may well step in to ensure the UK remains competitive, many players are wondering just who would be willing to stump up the capital for such an extraordinarily expensive project.

Despite the potential gains, it would take years for any company to see any return on the investment.

In addition, many broadband companies may be hesitant to back a cable network after investing so heavily in their own unbundling of BT’s ADSL infrastructure.

What is certain though is that our current broadband speeds will certainly improve rapidly over the next few years.

Whether we get to see 100Mbps broadband any time soon remains a little more foggy.

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