A report out today is predicting that 5.5mn UK premises that is 18%, are predicted to be without a highspeed broadband subscription in 2040, despite the government’s
commitment to 99% network coverage by 2030.
Those forecast to be without high-speed broadband are disproportionally represented by vulnerable groups in society, such as the elderly, disabled and low-income households according to analysis by Ernst & Young .
The authors say that It’s crucial that government policy around TV distribution continues to reflect the needs of everyone in society, not just those with access to the fastest broadband networks.
They recommend that For TV distribution beyond 2034, a hybrid solution incorporating
the existing DTT network is likely to remain the best outcome for all stakeholders, given the social equality impacts, complexities, costs, reliability concerns, and energy considerations of a full migration to IP distribution.
The last decade has been a ‘golden age’ for television, with consumers enjoying an ever-growing array of high-quality content via a range of different platforms and devices, wherever they want, whenever they want, at home and on the go.
Whilst linear broadcasts over Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) remains the mainstay of UK television viewing, the rapid proliferation of both global and national streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, iPlayer, and ITVX has raised questions about the future of TV distribution.
It is not just the headline speed that impacts on the reliability of internet video streams, but also factors such as latency, network congestion and Wi-Fi degradation.
This, says the authors is compounded by the ever-increasing array of connected devices and services that are putting increased strain on home internet connections, meaning that speeds of up to 60 Megabits per second (Mbps) are recommended by ISPs for customers seeking reliable, high-quality video.
Whilst the government’s target is nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030, customers are still required to subscribe to the service, and it cannot be assumed that they will necessarily opt to take a sufficiently fast connection.
Despite almost universal coverage of high-speed broadband today, with 96% of all premises covered, we find that 15% have a connection speed of less than 30 Mbps and a further 13% have no fixed broadband at all.
Furthermore, the report finds that these no — and slow — broadband households
are distributed unequally across society.
Reduced levels of take-up are associated with more vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, those on lower incomes, and people with mental or physical disabilities.
Geographically they found that that those constituencies tend to be in the nations and
regions, such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, northern England,
or Cornwall.
