Mutiny Blog

The recent announcement by the UK government that every individual and business will have access to broadband by the end of the current parliament in 2020 is undoubtedly welcome news. If there is one thing on which pretty much everyone agrees, it is that Britain needs faster broadband. But with the end of the parliament five years away, how much can we trust this latest pledge and does it go far enough?

Broadband pledges

Last month, Prime Minister David Cameron pledged that everyone across the country should be given a legal right to request a 10Mbps broadband connection by May 2020. The promise means the government will set up what’s termed a ‘Universal Service Obligation’ for 10 Mbps broadband, no matter where they live.

The PM said: “Access to the Internet shouldn’t be a luxury; it should be a right – absolutely fundamental to life in 21st century Britain. That is why I’m announcing a giant leap in my digital mission for Britain. Just as our forebears effectively brought gas, electricity and water to all, we’re going to bring fast broadband to every home and business that wants it. That’s right: we’re getting Britain – all of Britain – online, and on the way to becoming the most prosperous economy in the whole of Europe.”

The problem is that recent governments don’t have an exemplary record when it comes to delivering on their broadband promises. In 2009 the Labour government committed to 2 Mbps broadband for all by 2012. In 2011 the coalition government scrapped that pledge, instead promising ‘superfast broadband’ of 24 Mbps to 90 percent of UK premises by 2015. Just two years later this target was also pushed back, to 95 percent of premises by 2017.

Should we aim higher?

While we welcome the news that fast broadband connectivity is now seen as a key service, essential to families and businesses across the UK, some people are already suggesting that the government’s plans need to be more ambitious. The government says that the latest data from Ofcom confirms 10 Mbps is the speed needed to meet the demands of today’s typical family and many small businesses. However, advancements in technology mean expectations are rising, and with some suppliers already offering 100Mbps speeds, shouldn’t we be more ambitious?

The day after the government’s announcement, Vodafone's CEO, Vittorio Colao weighed into the debate with claims that Britain is being left behind by countries like Spain and Italy when it comes to superfast broadband. On the BBC’s Today programme he suggested that people in Southern Europe were getting much faster speeds than those available here. "In the UK you talk about 10 megabits per second speeds," he said, "when Vodafone in countries like Spain, Portugal and Italy actually sells 100, 200 even 300 megabits per second."

What about the Upstream?

It is also all very well providers saying that 10 Mbps can be achieved to the customer but that is a bit of smoke and mirrors when a lack of core trunks and infrastructure causes contention at peak times for whole communities and regions. The lack of outreach by large content and streaming providers means that our traffic has to pass between different network and hosting providers before it gets to us and these contentions diminish our Internet experience.

Business critical technology

Wherever you stand on the debate about broadband speeds, the important thing to recognise is that for businesses today, high-quality digital connectivity is as crucial to growth and productivity as roads, railways and airports. So, the government’s commitment to continually raise the bar with this new universal service obligation of 10Mbps is sure to be welcomed by businesses around the UK.

Global adoption of broadband connectivity is also fuelling the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), Cisco estimate that globally up to 50 billion ‘smart’ devices, ranging from cars and parking meters to coffee machines and combine harvesters could be connected to the internet by 2020.For the IoT to really take off, it’s going to need universally speedy broadband because it is expected to generate more than 20 zettabytes, or 20 trillion gigabytes, of data by 2025.

This proliferation of broadband will also bring benefits to businesses’ real-time analysis and monitoring. Our clients depend on the speed and reliability of their network and faster connectivity is always top of their technology requirements. For those with multiple, disparate sites whose only option currently is a local, on-site monitoring solution, these new connections will facilitate centralised monitoring of the whole estate – reaping economies of scale and allowing true management of network performance.

Digital networks are improving but advancements in technology mean expectations are rising exponentially. Readily available high-speed broadband is key to future technology development and we must support efforts by the government to drive the broadband agenda.

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