Time and again we’ve been told that the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme with BT is running way behind schedule (example) and yet actual progress on the ground consistently appears to suggest otherwise. The latest example comes from the Better Broadband for Suffolk project in England, which has just reached the 50,000 premises passed mark and now claims to be more than 6 weeks ahead of schedule.
In fairness many BDUK schemes did extend their original completion deadlines, albeit not by the 2 years that some reports have suggested. Actual delays to the project, versus the original expectations, appear to be more akin to a few short months and we’re still expecting around 90% of the United Kingdom to be put within reach of a fixed line superfast broadband (24Mbps+) connection by around the end of 2015 (most delay fears often stem from political confusion with the new 95% target for 2017).
Never the less more BDUK schemes now appear to be claiming that they’re running ahead of schedule than behind it, which may just be enough to balance out against earlier delays come completion. On the other hand it’s much easier to make rapid progress during the earlier stages when you’re predominantly focusing upon denser sub-urban areas and towns, as opposed to connecting remote rural villages in the latter stages where it often takes longer to serve fewer people.
As for Suffolk, last year the local project announced that it would bring superfast broadband to around 10,000 homes and businesses by the end of 2013 (roughly 3 months ahead of schedule). The scheme ultimately aims to extend coverage out to 90% of the county by the end of 2015 (note: 85% will get speeds of 24Mbps+) and has this week reached the “half-way” point by making related connections available to order by some 50,000 additional homes and businesses (note: the longer term plan is likely to reach 95% by 2017 – as per the Government’s target).
Mark Bee, Suffolk County Council Leader, said:
“Superfast broadband has the power to transform the way businesses operate, making them stronger and, therefore, more commercially viable. This will give Suffolk’s economy a significant boost, helping us to attract new businesses to the county and create new jobs.
We estimate that faster broadband will create as many as 1500 new jobs in Suffolk, a number we hope to exceed. We have been working hard to get us to this milestone and I continue to be tremendously proud of what we have achieved.”
At the current rate Suffolk anticipates that every three months, between now and the end of 2015, approximately 10,000 more properties will be given access to better broadband. Separately BT’s existing commercial plans have already helped 200,000 premises in the region to get similar connectivity (note: Suffolk has a total of around 350,000 premises).
But it’s important to remember that predicted performance can often differ from real-world experiences, especially where Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technology is being used because many factors can affect its speed (e.g. poor home wiring, crosstalk interference etc.); this is largely thanks to the remaining diet of less reliable copper cable coming into your home.
UPDATE 2:02pm
Correction, it’s supposed to be “more than 6 weeks” ahead not “6 months“. Blaming the typo on man flu.
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