Ofcom looks to super-fast broadband

Telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced moves to promote the rollout of super-fast broadband in the UK.

Fibre networks have the potential to deliver speeds of up to 100Mbps, but the cost of extending them to a significant proportion of homes has been estimated at more than £15bn.

Ofcom plans to investigate how difficult the work would be - and get a better idea of the cost - in order to encourage firms to take the risk of investing.

The regulator will survey parts of the current underground telecoms network and also look at whether existing infrastructure, such as that used for water and energy, could be used to carry fibre connections.

Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said last night: "Super-fast broadband – next generation access and networks – are crucial to the UK’s future. These networks form part of the critical infrastructure of the country’s economy and will be central to the way we live our lives in the future.

"I believe that super-fast next generation broadband will come to change our perception of communications radically; alongside mobile broadband, it will in time have a similar impact upon our society and economy as we have seen with first generation broadband. So we must prepare now.

"Given the remarkable results from recent French surveys, we need to establish what the position is here and whether or not duct access has a role to play in the development of competitive next-generation access. So, in cooperation with operators we intend to undertake a sample survey of the existing duct network. We are well aware that there are significant issues related to this in the broader telecoms market and that careful consideration will need to be given to these, alongside the results of the survey."

France Telecom is currently negotiating with network providers on plans for them to use its duct space for fibre.

Richards continued: "Working with the Caio Review [the government's overarching broadband review], we will also be asking whether there is scope to secure commercially viable access for fibre deployment through the primary infrastructure networks of other utilities such as water and energy. We must be sure we are not missing a big trick here. We know that a lot of the costs are in the civil engineering and this is civil engineering of a very similar kind."

Additionally, Ofcom has proposed regulations for the installation of next generation networks at new housing and office developments. While they are likely to be some years off for most of the UK, companies are more enthusiastic about this much cheaper area. BT has already installed fibre to homes at a new estate in Ebbsfleet, Kent.

The regulator said that establishing rules and standards for these new networks would encourage investment and protect competition.

The potential demand for super-fast broadband has been highlighted by demand for online video viewing.