A recent survey from bOnline has shown that many SMEs are unsure about the availability of altnet in their area, with confusion over the UK’s broadband roll-out strategy.
Wed, 23/06/2021 - 16:26
UK altnets have boosted their fibre coverage by 110% in the past year, up from 50% in 2020, to cover over 2.5m premises according to a report commissioned by the Independent Network Co-operative Association (INCA).
The Point Topic compiled report found that the independent network sector is four times larger than it was a decade ago with nearly £12bn expected to be invested by altnets by 2025.
Point Topic's CEO, Oliver Johnson said: "Conditions in the UK are encouraging for the altnets. Demand and supply are being driven by a renewed consumer appreciation and desire for better downstream and upstream capacity and stability as well as access to more finance and an encouraging regulatory environment."
County Broadband Chief Executive Lloyd Felton added: "The focus now must be on removing barriers so these complex infrastructure projects can progress quickly to meet the government's ambitious gigabit targets. We also need to continue educating consumers about the benefits of real full fibre compared to their existing copper connection."
In its assessment, the study showed that 845,000 properties are currently connected to either a full fibre or gigabit fixed independent network and predicted that by the end-2025 nearly 30 million homes and businesses will connect to an altnet, with around 6.2 million live connections made.
