London Mayor Pushes ISPs to Ensure 99% Superfast Broadband Cover

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson (Conservative), will today meet some of the United Kingdom’s largest ISPs and mobile operators (including Virgin Media, BT and O2 UK) at a ‘Connectivity Summit’ where it’s hoped that a strategy can be devised to help improve the city’s superfast broadband connectivity.

London’s connectivity is already better than most of the UK, with Ofcom estimating that 89.10% already have access to a superfast broadband (24Mbps+) capable connection and average modem “sync” speeds tend to hover around 20.4Mbps. Similarly the percentage getting less than 2Mbps is just 5.40%. Pretty good by comparison to other parts of the UK and not forgetting that the figures should be even better now because Ofcom’s data is from 2013.

But some parts of London are still struggling, particularly in the South East, although the patchy issue can also occur in other areas too. For example, earlier this year we reported on a situation where multi-millionaire residents of the new One Hyde Park development in bustling Knightsbridge had been stuck with slow ADSL connectivity due to a local issue with Exchange-Only Lines (here). The mayor also estimate that 6,500 premises reside in “notspots” where even basic broadband could be a struggle.

Naturally the Mayor, as part of his new London Infrastructure Plan 2050, would like to do better and thus he wants 99% of properties in the capital to have access to affordable superfast connections by 2018.

The plan also envisages London becoming the first capital city in the world to deploy 5G based Mobile Broadband by 2020 and to boost WiFi coverage. The Mayor’s Office more broadly claims that a shift from basic broadband to superfast could boost London’s economy by around £4bn come 2024.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said:

“The Internet is now considered the fourth utility and if we are to remain competitive in the global economy and bolster our reputation as the greatest city on earth we need to ensure every Londoner is able to access the very best digital connectivity. By bringing together the great and good of the digital community we are today committing to ensuring that London has the infrastructure in place to stay ahead of our competitors while enabling businesses and residents to take full advantage of its benefits.”

As part of this effort a new Connectivity Rating Scheme is to be rolled out across the city, which will work to encourage developers and building owners to improve the connectivity by giving businesses information about a building’s broadband connectivity when choosing where to locate. The London Enterprise Panel has already allocated £50,000 towards the scheme (subject to final approval).

Admittedly Mr Johnson has earned himself somewhat of a reputation as being a man who makes big promises, albeit often with very little in the way of actual delivery (best not to mention “that” airport). On the other hand the “new” approach towards improving broadband connectivity in a densely populated area is probably one task that he easily can accomplish, especially since the ISPs appear to be pledging their support.

The summit will also look to create a Connectivity Advisory Group that will push a range of actions to solve London’s connectivity issues, including a city-wide mapping exercise to ascertain existing levels of high-speed connectivity accessibility and the barriers to provision in “notspots” (sounds a lot like the BDUK approach). It will also look at plans to use street furniture, such as bus stops, to improve connectivity and ensure providers advise customers about the latest tech available.

Joe Garner, CEO of BTOpenreach, said:

“London is a world class city with world class connectivity. In fact, an independent report from PWC recently rated London as joint first in the world along with Seoul for technology readiness, well ahead of New York and other major cities. Regarding broadband, London is just one point behind Seoul in second place among major global cities – showing how well it is doing.

Every business in the capital is able to access ultra-fast broadband via dedicated lines. Consumer fibre broadband – which may also appeal to small businesses – is available to 88 per cent of properties in London and that figure is growing all the time. London’s world class connectivity has helped the capital to thrived over the decades. We’re delighted that the Mayor and his team are holding this summit to discuss how we make sure London’s strong position becomes yet stronger, and I have offered to personally share our plans with the Mayor at his convenience.”

Tom Mockridge, Virgin Media’s CEO, added:

“Securing a world class, connected capital city is a vital investment in all of our futures. It will reap a dividend far beyond London too; improving the UK’s international competitiveness, attracting investment and securing employment. At Virgin Media, we are proud to be supercharging London with unbeatable broadband, superfast WiFi and extending our network to reach an additional 100,000 homes. It’s an investment we’d like to continue building on.”

Separately it’s noted that more than 1,000 businesses have already registered to receive Connection Vouchers, which offer grants worth up to £3,000 to help SME firms get a superfast broadband connection. Apparently this figure is expected to “rise considerably over the next 12 months“. In addition, £1.2m is being investment to improve public WiFi provision in free museums and libraries across London.

Hopefully a more cohesive strategy can be developed over the next few months. A few more details on the initial proposals can be found below.

The Connectivity Advisory Group

* Will work to work in partnership with providers to tackle the challenge of ubiquitous and affordable connectivity coverage

* Will work to take forward a city-wide mapping (including underground) exercise to ascertain existing levels of high speed broadband accessibility and identify the barriers to provision in ‘not-spots’

* Will work to develop a profile of business and consumer communities and their potential communication infrastructure needs; consider ways to aggregate demand; and explore ways to encourage the take up superfast broadband

* Will work to advise on and assist with the delivery of the Mayor’s Digital Inclusion Plan, due to be published in Autumn 2014.

* Will work to develop a strategy for better utilising existing infrastructure to deliver improved availability and connection speeds.

Connectivity Ratings

* The city wide mapping exercise will be used to develop a connectivity ratings map, introducing a rating system for individual properties both to assist consumers and providers and to encourage developers and property owners to improve the connectivity of their properties.

* The ratings approach may be developed along similar lines to Right Move’s ‘Check Broadband Speed’ which is now included in its property listings, or to Energy Performance Certificates.

* We will also work with estate agents and surveyors to develop ways of assessing properties for their connectivity and to ensure that such assessments become part and parcel of building surveys in future, given their importance to consumers and businesses.