e-volve names rural locations as missing link in fibre rollout

Commsworld and Alncom have partnered to boost connectivity for retail motor group Tustain Motors, headquartered in Alnwick and with dealerships across rural areas of England and Scotland.

A Sub-regional Digital Infrastructure Strategy has been launched today by Local London and the South London Partnership to identify gaps in gigabit-capable connectivity across 14 south and east London boroughs.

Only around 53 per cent of those eligible for social tariffs are currently aware of their existence. For this reason, uptake rates remain concerningly low. As of April 2022, only 5.1 per cent of those eligible for social tariffs had made the switch according to Ofcom, representing 220k of a potential 4.3 million households. This is against a UK market penetration rate of just over 11 per cent for fibre.

The Local Government Alliance is calling for the appointment of a dedicated Digital Exclusion Minister, given the task of overseeing a new strategy to close the growing digital divide.