Broadband coverage – Open Market Review

Background

The Government wants to have nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible. While great progress is being made, the Government is aware it needs to help in the parts of the country that are not commercially viable.

£5bn was committed in the 2020 budget to ensure that all areas of the UK can benefit equally. The funding will be spent through a range of projects known as the UK Gigabit Programme. As part of this, Building Digital UK (BDUK) will fund contracts for suppliers to deliver gigabit-capable wholesale infrastructure to the hardest to reach areas.

Open Market Review with suppliers

Durham County Council are running an Open Market Review (OMR) data collection process for the entire North East of England region alongside BDUK and local council partners. Broadband providers are invited to supply information about their infrastructure as part of the OMR process.

If you have existing network coverage, or plan to build infrastructure within the next three years, we actively encourage you to respond to this OMR. The information will be used to identify a draft ‘Intervention Area’ where public subsidy can potentially be used by Government to deliver gigabit capable broadband, and ensure it is only used in areas where there is no existing gigabit capable infrastructure or future commercial plans to provide it.

Further information is available on the Durham County Council website at: http://www.durham.gov.uk/consultation

Rural Gigabit Broadband Top-Up Voucher

More funding is being made available to help County Durham’s rural businesses and residents access a faster internet connection.

Durham County Council is adding £500,000 to top up a government funding scheme, helping to connect properties in some of the hardest to reach areas of the country.

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) offers a one-off contribution to businesses and residents in rural areas to subsidise the installation costs of a gigabit-capable, full-fibre broadband connection.

The top-up doubles the funding amount available through the GBVS to eligible applicants. For homes, the maximum funding per voucher will be £3,000, while SMEs (small and medium-enterprises) can claim up to £7,000.

Read more about this funding and eligibility criteria here.

Alternative broadband options to fixed line

If you find yourself without access to decent broadband speeds – what are the potential alternative options?

4G broadband with an antenna

4G broadband can provide superfast download speed of 30Mbps to some areas. Your chosen provider should be able to advise what speeds you should expect.

If you find you struggle to get a 4G signal inside your home, you might benefit from a compatible external antenna to your property. The antenna will pick up an outdoor 4G signal and feed it straight to your router. You can then connect your devices wirelessly to the router.

It’s considered good for browsing, gaming, streaming and uploading.

Unlimited data packages are not available, and the package costs increase depending on the amount of data required.

Key points:

Superfast broadband speeds may be available – the speeds available to your property would need to be confirmed by a provider as they can vary.
A 4G external antenna, which is usually small, should be much more effective at picking up a 4G signal than a mobile phone.
This is thought to be a good option as long as you have a good outdoor 4G signal.
There are currently no unlimited data packages available, but there are some reasonably priced plans available with relatively decent data volumes.
4G is generally considered to be faster and more reliable than satellite broadband.

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)

FWA can provide superfast download speeds of 30Mbps. The exact speeds received depend on many factors, but the distance of your property to the mast and the number of obstructions are the two key elements. For this reason, providers will not usually guarantee service until a site visit has taken place.

The provider would install a router and mobile antenna, which is usually small, onto the side of your property.

It’s considered to be good for online browsing, gaming, streaming and file transfers. Some operators offer unlimited packages (subject to an acceptable usage policy) which means you don’t need to worry about data limits.

Whilst there isn’t extensive coverage in County Durham it appears to be growing. You can check if FWA is available to your property and find out more about the service by contacting these providers:

Key points:

Superfast broadband speeds may be available through Fixed Wireless Access – this would need to be confirmed by a provider as speeds can vary.
Unlimited data packages are available from some providers which means you don’t need to worry about data limits.
Services are not widely accessible, and you will need to check if coverage is available to your property with each provider.

Satellite broadband

Satellite broadband provides a connection that uses satellite signals to send and receive data. The main advantage is that it can be provided virtually anywhere in the world, as long as you have a clear line of sight to the south generally.

To get satellite broadband, a provider will need to install a satellite dish to your property, rather like you would for satellite television.

You’ll also need a modem installed inside your house, with wires connecting it to the satellite dish, and usually a wireless router as well.

An installation should only take a few hours and be no more disruptive than a satellite TV fitting.

Although the package costs are comparable to standard (ADSL) or fibre-based broadband packages, you’re not really getting like for like as satellite broadband usually has a limited data allowance. Unlimited satellite packages are available but can be extremely costly.

A common complaint is the lag satellite broadband tends to have, known as latency. This is due to the time it takes the signal to get to and from the satellite. This might not affect general internet use, but it can cause problems for gamers who play in real time as they could find it makes games unplayable.

Key points:

Satellite broadband is an option for decent internet speeds and may be the only option currently for some rural locations.
It can be expensive, both in terms of the monthly package charges and installation fees.
The latency tends to be high, making it unsuitable for some types of internet activity such as online gaming.

Broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO)

Ofcom are expected to launch the Broadband Universal Service Obligation in March 2020.

What is the Broadband USO?

From March 2020, residents and businesses in the UK will have the legal right to request a decent and affordable broadband connection. A decent connection has been defined by the Government as receiving download speeds of at least 10 Mbps and upload speed of 1 Mbps.

Residents and businesses can access up to £3,400 to help cover the connection costs of getting a faster broadband service subject to eligibility requirements.

Customers will be able to request a Broadband USO connection directly from one of the designated universal service providers – BT and KCOM.

More information is available on the Ofcom website.

Broadband Data Limits Explained

Data limits can sometimes leave you scratching your head. You sign up for a broadband service and are quoted an amount of data you can use every month, but what does that data allow you to do?

Most broadband providers offer the customer an unlimited data allowance, but if you’re looking to save a bit of cash or are using a satellite connection, it’s likely that you may have a cap on your usage. A great way of visualising your usage needs can be seen in the table below from Money.co.uk.

Table showing data usage — One GB is made up of 1024Mb

Unlimited broadband is an attractive prospect for many. Being able to navigate the internet, stream HD videos and play online games without the fear of breaching a data cap can put a customer’s mind at ease. Sounds great, right?

Well, there can be some unforeseen issues. Many consumers believe that with an unlimited package comes faster speeds and, unfortunately, that is not true. Being able to consume more data does not mean that your internet will see speed improvements. If speed is a priority to you, look out for “download speed” over data limits. It’s also worth bearing in mind that an ‘unlimited’ data cap usually comes with a fair use policy. Whilst there is no universally accepted ‘fair use’ number, users who heavily participate in peer-2-peer file-sharing networks are more likely to risk being contacted by their ISP.

So, what happens if you go over your data limit?

If you breach your data cap, you can face additional fees on your monthly bill or be subjected to a practice known as ‘throttling’. Throttling is where your broadband provider restricts your speeds at peak times and, depending on your connection speed in the first place, can prove to be quite frustrating.

Luckily, most companies will notify you when you’re approaching your data limit. This allows you to modify your online behaviour in order to ensure you don’t go over your data allowance. However this is not always the case. It’s always a wise idea to keep tabs on your usage and, with most service providers allow you to monitor your usage online or through an app. I yours doesn’t, or you can’t figure out how to set it up, you can find out how much data you’ve used by getting in touch with your service provider directly.

Remember, if you monitor your data usage and are consistently using under your limit, you can always contact your ISP to request a reduced data cap in order to save some pennies!

If you’ve got any questions about data limits or just want to have a chat about broadband, drop us a tweet at @digitaldurham or hop on over to our Facebook page and say hi!