Telecommunications - Broadband - Facts and Figures

What is broadband?
Coverage, take-up and price
Regulatory Issues
Broadband Stakeholder Group
Regional Development Agencies
Devolved Administrations
Defra
Other Government Links

What is broadband?

Broadband is the term used to describe a wide range of technologies that allow high-speed, always-on access to the Internet. This is most often delivered via a connection through your telephone line or cable service, but can also be delivered using wireless and satellite connections.

The paragraphs below give a brief description of the most popular technologies used to access broadband in the UK

ADSL

The most common way to get broadband in the UK is through an ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) connection. It works by splitting your existing telephone line signal into two, one for voice and the other for data.

DSL technologies enable broadband services to be delivered over the existing copper loops that extend into all households and businesses that have a fixed telephone line. ADSL generally offer users speeds of up to 8 Mbps.

Cable modems

Cable networks offer a supply route for higher bandwidth services to both the residential and business market. A cable modem can offer a similar speed to ADSL services.

Fibre

Fibre installed direct to a consumer's house or to a business premises will provide higher bandwidth access with delivery rates above those achievable with DSL technologies. Installation of fibre to replace the copper loop is expensive and at least in the short term. Bandwidths of up to 100Mbps are possible over a fibre connection.

Satellite

Satellite is commonly used to provide one-way higher bandwidth capability (e.g. for television broadcasts). Provision of two-way higher bandwidth capability over satellite is not common. There are a number of advantages to satellite technology – in particular it is capable of reaching remote rural areas where other types of provision may not be technically feasible or economically viable. Two–way and one-way satellite access is also available throughout the UK, offering the potential to reach those parts of the UK outside of the reach of either ADSL or cable modem services.

Leased lines

Leased lines are permanent telecommunications links supplied by network operators to users, which provide capacity dedicated to the user's exclusive use. They are used by large businesses and some SMEs to carry high volumes of voice and data traffic. They are also used by other telecoms operators and service providers and so underpin many other services and provide the 'backbone' for the mobile networks.

Fixed Wireless Access

Broadband fixed wireless access allows users to take advantage of cheap, fast Internet and multimedia access through radio links between an aerial located on the user’s premises and a base station, rather than down a telephone line.

Wi-Fi

Increasingly lap-tops have a Wi-Fi chip as standard which allows users to remotely access broadband via “hot-spots” located typically in conference centres, hotels, transport hubs, coffee shops etc. Wi-Fi uses licence–exempt spectrum at 2.4Ghz and 5GHz, has a range of 10-100m and can deliver around 2Mbps. Ultimately Wi-Fi could deliver upwards of 100Mbps.

3G

Although primarily seen as providing mobile telephone services, 3G can also be used to provide true mobile broadband. Current bandwidths are around 2Mbps but ultimately use of multiple antennas could deliver rates of 10+mbps. The rates a user will actually get depend on the degree of demand at a given site and given time.

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Coverage, take-up and price

To check the availability of broadband in your area got to http://www.bt.com/broadband/

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Regulatory Issues

On 29 December 2003, Ofcom became the new regulator for the UK communications industry. Ofcom inherited the duties of the five existing communications regulators: the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel), the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC), the Independent Television Commission (ITC), the Radio Authority and the Radiocommunications Agency.

Amongst its new obligations under the Communications Act 2003 (Chapter 21, s3 (4) (e), Ofcom is required, when carrying out its functions, to ‘have regard’, amongst other things, to the desirability of encouraging the availability and use of high-speed data transfer services throughout the UK. This is a new duty introduced by the Communications Act 2003, which did not apply to the previous regulators.

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Broadband Stakeholder Group

The BSG was established as a cross-sector government advisory group in 2001 to help the UK lead the G7 in broadband penetration and connectivity. Good progress has been made against this objective, but the challenge of being a world leader in the deployment, adoption and exploitation of broadband has not gone away.
Based on the challenges currently facing industry and UK plc, the BSG’s mission for 2007-2008 is to:

maximise the benefits of an inclusive broadband-enabled society to ensure UK competitiveness.
promote the development of globally competitive communications infrastructures and services.
champion a policy and regulatory framework to capitalise on convergence.

View the full BSG Mission and Objectives for 2007-2008

For further enquiries about the BSG please contact:

Peter Shearman
Broadband Stakeholder Group
Intellect
10-12 Russell Square
London WC1B 5EE.

Peter.Shearman@intellectuk.org

http://www.broadbanduk.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

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