The U.K. has invested billions of dollars in gigabit fiber and 5G, but its citizens still have their doubts. Research by Cluttons, a real estate firm, shows that respondents to a survey believe the U.K. is lagging behind other countries when it comes to fiber deployment and 5G, even though all respondents agreed connectivity is essential to the economy. Additionally, many local governments appear to lack a digital strategy.
Cluttons’ “Connecting the U.K.” report, which queried Ministers of Parliament (MP), local politicians, consumers and IT decision makers, found a significant lack of confidence and understanding in the government’s roll out strategy. Of the MPs that took part, only 38 percent rate the U.K.’s Gigabit rollout a success, 34 percent believed the U.K. would meet its goal of 85 percent coverage by 2025 and only 30 percent of MPs knew the difference between fiber and Gigabit bandwidths.
Furthermore, consumers didn’t seem well informed, with only a third saying they understand 5G’s benefits. Just under half of consumers said they didn’t know if their home broadband achieved their provider’s guaranteed minimum speed. Over a quarter said they have inconsistent signal strength at home on a daily basis.
John Gravett, partner at Cluttons, said: “Our research raises concerns that we will fall further behind given the lack of confidence by MPs in delivering the targets set. Moreover, the lack of understanding of connectivity not just by consumers but in Government itself is very concerning and this could further hold back critical infrastructure development.”
Less than a third of local government respondents believe residents support further installation of infrastructure, despite the overwhelming desire for connectivity. “However, community objection shows that, as is often the case, people are supportive of development in general but may have outdated ideas about infrastructure being close to their local community – so this is something we must collectively address via both education, and planning reforms,” Gravett said.
Cluttons said it believes the government will move past all of the issues and challenges highlighted by its research. The firm plans to work with its clients and other stakeholders in connectivity to develop recommendations on how to “supercharge the U.K.’s connectivity,” which it plans to deliver to lawmakers in the spring.
“For example, we believe it is crucial that the private sector collaborates with both local and central government to develop strategies for overcoming the obstacles impacting the rollout,” Gravett said. “We look forward to further collaborating with key stakeholders in the real estate and infrastructure sector to make recommendations to the government and we welcome involvement from anyone who wants to input into this major piece of work.”
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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