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Wales Seeks to Ensure New Build Homes Get Gigabit Broadband

Friday, Feb 3rd, 2023 (11:09 am) - Score 624
house building uk broadband

The Welsh Government (WG) has today signalled its intention to follow England’s updated Building Regulations by launching a consultation into proposals that would echo those, not least by requiring housing developers to “ensure all new build houses be equipped with gigabit broadband capability“.

Just to recap. At present around 57.07% of premises in Wales are already within reach of “gigabit-capable broadband” speeds (here), although we also note that 99.03% of UK houses constructed during the first half of 2022 were connected to a gigabit-capable network (here) and thus the gap left to solve here is not significant.

Nevertheless, Westminster has already updated the old Building Regulations 2010 (Building etc. (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2022) to ensure that new build homes are constructed with support for “faster broadband“. But the updated building regs only applied to England, while such decisions in Wales, Scotland and N.Ireland have been left up to the devolved governments.

In keeping with that, the WG has today launched their own consultation on related changes for Wales, which broadly appear to mirror the changes that have already been made in England.

Proposals of the WG Consultation

➤ All new build homes are installed with the gigabit-ready physical infrastructure necessary for gigabit-capable connections;

➤ a gigabit-capable connection is installed in a new build home subject to a £2,000 cost cap per dwelling;

➤ or where a gigabit-capable connection is not being installed, the next fastest broadband connection is installed without exceeding the £2,000 cost cap.

According to the WG, this “gigabit capability” proposal will “for the most part be fibre” (FTTP) and will require developers to install underground ducting to enable connections to be made to buildings. The new regulations will thus require each dwelling (including each individual dwelling in multi-dwelling buildings) to be equipped with the required infrastructure to support “at least one gigabit-capable connection“. This includes in-building and exterior infrastructure located anywhere within the site, such as in the footpath, driveway or common area leading from the building.

Vaughan Gething, Minister for Economy, said:

“Access to fast and reliable broadband is an essential utility. It enables access to lifelong learning opportunities and public services, tackles social isolation, enables flexible home working and brings people together to tackle local and global issues. The pandemic has also undoubtedly brought the need for good future-proofed connectivity into sharper focus.

The proposals we are consulting on will help us go further and faster to make our homes fit for the future. I urge individuals, businesses, charities and everyone in between to respond to the consultation and have your say!”

However, the consultation, which will run until 28th April 2023, also appears to include some of the same caveats and exceptions as the new regs in England, including the supply of slower 30Mbps+ or even 10Mbps+ connectivity in certain circumstances.

Exceptions

  • Where a developer is unable to meet the second requirement and secure a gigabit-capable connection, for example because the developer costs incurred after any network operator contribution exceed the cost cap or another exemption applies a developer will be required to install the next best technology connections available unless the quote for that installation also exceeds the cost cap.
    • In the first instance this should be at least a superfast 30 Mbps connection and failing that:
    • a broadband connection in line with the Broadband Universal Service Obligation’s download speed, as set out in the Universal Service Order 2018 (Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Broadband) Order 2018 – SI 2018/445). This is currently a connection delivering at least 10 Mbps download speed
  • Where no connection can be secured without exceeding the cost cap, the first requirement to install gigabit-ready physical infrastructure necessary for gigabit-capable connections will ensure that the new build home is future-proofed and ready for gigabit connectivity unless any further exemption based on the remoteness of the property is appropriate.
  • In the absence of a broadband connection in line with a Broadband Universal Service Obligation connection, a consumer will normally be able to make a request for a Universal Service Obligation connection or apply to the Access Broadband Cymru grant scheme in Wales.
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Mark-Jackson
By Mark Jackson
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and .
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Comments
1 Response
  1. Avatar photo David Burns says:

    I find it so strange that the English Government, now being followed by the Welsh Government thinks that making a premises gigabit broadband capable is a result of installing ducting.

    Whilst this ducting can be used for fibre optic cables, this makes a technology bias which is supposed to be outlawed.

    For example gigabit broadband can also be supplied via mmWave fixed wireless technology, or even certain types of 5G, which does not need ducting.

    I know many people believe that optical fibres are in some ways superior as a medium for fast broadband, which can often be true. But when a public body sets out an arbitrary goal such as gigabit speeds, and especially where public funding is concerned, surely they should properly understand the full range of options?

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