The latest Connectionnations 2023 UK Digital Infrastructure Report has been published today by Ofcom.Gigabit compatible broadbandISP networks now cover 78% of the UK (up from 70% in 2022) and outdoor 5G mobile coverage by at least one operator covers 85-93% of premises (up from 67-77%) ) is available.
As always, the CN2023 report provides an overview of fixed-line broadband and mobile network availability, usage and data usage across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and is primarily collected in September 2023. Based on data.
Before we start, it’s important to note how Ofcom defines the different broadband performance classes. for example, “decent broadband” means a download speed of at least 10Mbps and an upload speed of at least 1Mbps (i.e. universal service obligation), meanwhile “super fast“30Mbps or more”, “gigabit“” corresponds to 1Gbps+ (1000Mbps+), “full fiber“” essentially means pure From fiber to campus (FTTP) networks (these are also Gigabit capable).
As always, we have divided the report’s summary of key findings into the categories of fixed-line broadband networks and mobile networks.
Fixed line broadband coverage
The main focus for 2023 is “full fiber” FTTP broadband networks from various providers (Overview of UK full fiber build-out progress), continues to primarily reflect urban commercial investment efforts, but that is starting to change.
The government’s new £5bn of state aid has been funded project gigabit The program aims to ensure gigabit speeds are available in at least 85% of UK premises by the end of 2025.nationwideWith coverage to 2030 (here), initial contract awards are gradually beginning to turn into concrete construction activities in various rural areas. Granted, we won’t see much change this year, but the impact will only grow.
Overall, today’s situation is such that the UK’sfull fiber” network coverage is up from 10% (3 million facilities) in 2019, 18% (5.1 million facilities) in 2020, 28% (8.2 million facilities) in 2021, and 42% ( 12.4 million facilities), and currently 57% (17.1 million sites). meanwhile, “gigabit‘ coverage is driven by both FTTP and Virgin Media’s HFC DOCSIS 3.1 network (with much urban overconstruction between these two networks) and is up 70% of last year (20.8 million ) to now 78% (23.2 million).
Elsewhere, ‘super fast” coverage remains at 97% (29.1 million sites), but drops to 88% in rural areas (up from 86% last year). However, the number of facilities that cannot obtain “” isdecent broadband” serviced 0.2% or 61,000 facilities (down from 0.3% or 80,000 facilities last year). However, this is only true if you include 4G and fixed wireless coverage in this number, but if you look only at fixed line solutions, the percentage is closer to 1% (410,000 premises).
Sadly, much of what remains in the sub-10Mbps area is often too expensive for even USO to fix (see here and here), but that gap is expected to narrow. Ofcom predicts that the number of premises without 10Mbps (decent) broadband could fall to around 10Mbps. 50,000 It will be completed by September 2024, primarily as a result of upgrades through publicly funded schemes (e.g. Connectivity Vouchers, Project Gigabit Contracts).
Ofcom also provides useful data on the rural and urban coverage split for superfast, decent broadband, full fiber and gigabit lines by region:
Regarding the acquisition rate, approximately 75% were able to obtain the .super fast broadband” service (up from 73% last year and 69% in 2021), 28% of people are using the “” service.full fiber” network (up from 25% last year). The reason Full Fiber hasn’t changed much is because it’s built faster (i.e. it’s building faster than people can sign up for it), which allows some coverage to mature and slow deployment. There is a tendency for the number of introductions to be suppressed until the .
Regarding the uptake of gigabit-capable networks, Ofcom says around 42% of customers are connected to such networks (up from 38% last year). This is higher than the full-fiber figure above, as it includes Virgin Media’s older hybrid. Fiber optic coax (HFC) network.
Elsewhere, the average monthly amount of data per household on fixed broadband connections has increased over the past year; 535gb (11% increase compared to last year’s 482GB). Unfortunately, regulators do not provide similar figures for mobile/mobile broadband networks, but they are usually much lower.
Lindsey Fussell, director of Ofcom’s Networks and Communications Group, said:
“The rapidly increasing availability of full-fibre broadband is good news for people and businesses across the UK, with millions more now enjoying the benefits of fast, reliable and future-proof internet. You can receive it.
When it’s time to sign a new broadband contract, we recommend researching the different options available to ensure you get the package that best suits your needs. ”
The regulator’s report includes some other interesting details. For example, traditional voice/telephone (PSTN) connections now account for less than half (41%) of all landline connections, as consumers move to broadband-only homes or digital voice/VoIP-style solutions. I am. PSTN and related wholesale line rental services are scheduled to be shut down by December 2025.
Additionally, there are fewer failures with full fiber providers. Over the past three years, for both KCOM and Openreach, the failure rate (per 1,000 connections) of KCOM’s Copper Access Network (ADSL) and Openreach’s Copper Access Network (ADSL and FTTC/VDSL) has been higher than that of KCOM. It was about 50% more expensive. respective FTTP networks. Virgin Media’s cable (HFC) network had a similar but slightly higher failure rate when compared to its FTTP network.
mobile coverage
The report also includes coverage data for mobile networks, including the usual 4G and 5G-based platforms that most people are familiar with. There are four major network operators (MNOs) in the UK: O2 (VMO2), Three UK, EE (BT) and Vodafone, as well as a variety of virtual operators (MVNOs) that piggyback on them.
Ofcom research shows that across all carriers (unchanged from last year) 80-87% of the UK’s land area (geographical coverage) has access to 4G networks, compared to just one carrier and 93% (up just 1%) now have access to a 4G network.new £1 billion shared rural network The agreement aims to increase geographic 4G coverage by a single operator to 95% by the end of 2025 (see here), and in the long run this should also help with 5G.
When it comes to 5G, the regulator found that around 85-93% of UK premises (up from six) have it available from at least one MNO (operator).7-77% last year). The technology has around 18,500 mobile sites across the UK (up from around 12,000 in 2022), representing a total of around 81,000 sites. However, 4G continues to carry the majority of mobile data traffic (81%), with 5G traffic showing an increase of approximately 140% and accounting for approximately 17% of total mobile traffic.
Meanwhile, MNOs have started shutting down their 3G networks. The number of customers using devices that rely on 2G or 3G connectivity has fallen sharply, from about 5.5 million reported last year to 2.4 million this year, with just over 500,000 of those using devices that rely on 3G connectivity. I am a residential customer using the device. Currently, less than 3% of mobile data traffic is carried over 3G networks, and 3G data traffic is down an average of 44% year over year.
Elsewhere, we were able to find some numbers on geographic 4G coverage for individual carriers across rural and urban areas. We only include data for rural coverage, as urban coverage figures are 99% across individual carriers (82-92% for 5G).
UK geographic coverage in 2023 by carrier
4G in rural areas (2022 numbers)
EE 86% (85%)
Vodafone 81% (80%)
O2 80% (80%)
UK 3 companies 78% (77%)5G in rural areas (no data for 2022)
EE 56-65%
UK 3 companies 46-75%
O2 37-41%
Vodafone 27-38%
Otherwise, you can check out the full text Connected Nation 2023 Report online.
