Full Fibre broadband is now available for 68% of UK premises.
Over recent years we’ve seen steady growth when it comes to the number of premises having Full Fibre broadband available to them, as you can see illustrated in the graph below.
However, when we look at smaller increments of time, some commenters are frustrated at the length of time it is taking, willing it to be faster. The increase from 67% to 68% has taken just over a month (34 days to be precise) which is slightly longer than the usual time we would expect for a 1% increase. To put it into context, the fastest 1% increase that has been recorded is almost half of this.
So does this mean that the speed and intensity of Full Fibre rollouts are diminishing? Are they a disaster and starting to slow down, rather than sprinting to the finish – A target of 85% coverage by 2025 and national coverage (99.9%) by 2030?
There are several complex factors that can account for the apparent slowing of Full Fibre broadband rollout.
Factors Affecting Full Fibre UK Rollout:
A large influencing factor for the latest % rise taking longer than expected is the overlap between the different networks, in particular nexfibre and CityFibre rollouts.
Another factor to consider is that not every % increase is the same – There seems to be an ebb and flow with Openreach and their rollout where we see a couple of mediocre months in terms of volume, and then a big month. It’s expected that Openreach FTTP will be increasing in volume over the next few weeks.
Remember that Full Fibre broadband availability is not the same as take up. Once it is available, providers obviously want customers to take it up in those areas. This means that some providers temporarily pause their rollout in order to spend time focusing on the take up.
Which parts of the UK have the least Full Fibre availability?
There are still many local authority areas that have low availability of FTTP (Fibre to the Premises).
The 10 local authorities with the lowest availability can be found below.
Local Authority
% Premises FTTP Available
% Increase
Na h-Eileanan an Iar
6.39
No change since 15/3/24
Shetland Islands
5.8
1.35 increase since 7/6/24
Isles of Scilly
9.49
No change since 15/3/24
Orkney Islands
11.94
1.11 increase since 7/6/24
Harlow District
13.7
0.01 increase since 7/6/24
West Dunbartonshire
14.74
0.71 increase since 7/6/24
Argyll and Bute
16.95
0.04 increase since 7/6/24
Perth and Kinross
20.31
1.22 increase since 7/6/24
Telford and Wrekin
23.31
0.35 increase since 7/6/24
South Tyneside District
25.27
2.48 increase since 7/6/24
Where in the UK has the best FTTP coverage?
Unfortunately, there is quite a gulf between the worst areas of the UK for Full Fibre (see above table) and the best.
The top area of the UK for FTTP coverage is Kingston upon Hull, with a whopping 99.75% of premises having access to Full Fibre availability. 77% of these properties even have the choice of two or more networks when it comes to connecting to Full Fibre broadband.
We’re excited to see how Full Fibre broadband coverage continues to increase over the coming months and years as the UK moves towards its target of 85% coverage next year.
We’d love to see more of the least covered local authority areas increase their FTTP availability during that time too so that even more of the UK is covered.
Network providers are constantly striving to improve performance to their service and Starlink engineering teams are no different. Starlink’s focus and goal is to deliver a service where the median latency is a stable 20ms with minimal packet loss.
With customers and users across the globe, Starlink has managed to meaningfully reduce the median and worst-case latency over the past month. As an example, users in the US benefited from a reduction of 30% in median latency, taking it from 48.5ms to 22ms during peak times. Worst-case latency during peak times also dropped, this time by 60% from over 150ms to less than 65ms.
Customers outside of the US have also enjoyed reduced median latency by up to 25% and worst-case latency by up to 35%.
What is Latency?
Already we’ve talked a lot about latency – That’s what this article is about! Here’s a brief explanation of what latency actually is.
Latency is generally measured in milliseconds, and refers to the amount of time it takes for a packet to be sent from your Starlink router to the internet and for the response to be received. This can also be referred to as RTT or “round-trip time.”
For someone’s perceived experience of using the internet, latency is one of the most important factors. It can significantly affect things like:
The speed in which web pages load
How ‘real life’ audio and video calls feel
Responsiveness of online gaming
If you’re wondering actually how important latency is when it comes a user experience of using the internet, here’s an example. During testing, increasing the bandwidth beyond 10 Mbps didn’t increase the speed of which a web-page loaded, yet those that reduced latency saw much quicker load times.
How Does Starlink Measure Latency?
Starlink’s latency is measured by collecting anonymous measurements from millions of Starlink routers. This measurement is taken every 15 seconds. The median and worst-case latencies are then calculated by taking the average of these 15 second latency measurements.
Median Latency
The median (50th percentile or p50) refers to the point where half of the latency measurements are below that number and the other half are above.
Worst-Case Latency
The worst-case latency, or 99th percentile, is defined as the place where 99% of measurements are better than a certain point.
When Are These Measurements Taken?
Measurements are taken from all points in time so all data can be analysed, but Starlink do specifically look at how they are performing during peak times (between 6pm and 9pm). This is when most people are using a Starlink connection and the network is under the most load.
What Affects Latency When Using a Starlink Connection?
There are a few factors that can affect latency in any network. For Starlink, the biggest things affecting latency are:
Physical speed-of-light propagation from the user to the satellite and back to the ground.
This goes back to the RTT (round trip time) we referred to earlier. Each part of the trip (there and then back) takes about 1.8 to 3.6 ms, with a total RTT of under 10 ms (usually).
If traffic flows over laser links instead of directly to the ground, higher incidences of latency could occur. This would be as a result of congestion mitigation, lack of satellite to ground paths, and other factors.
Laser connectivity is actually essential for connecting the most remote locations on Earth as well as for routing around congestion in the network. Starlink are however striving to make sure that latency sensitive traffic can flow over the shortest path possible.
Ground latency from the gateway sites to the internet connection point driven by ground network layout.
During 2024 the US will see the introduction of PoPs or Points of Presence, where Starlink has added 6 internet connect locations. They are optimising gateway locations and planning algorithms to ensure that traffic can land as close to its destination point as possible.
Starlink continue to ensure that users are allocated to optimal internet connection locations, so that all users get the lowest latency possible route to the internet.
Fronthaul (the radio links between the satellite and user) scheduling latency driven by the network topology and the number of users served by a given beam from a satellite.
Over the past few months, Starlink’s major focus has been on optimising fronthaul scheduling latency, even though this is an inherent part of shared wireless systems.
Non-physical limitations in the system.
This would include unneeded processing delays, unoptimised buffers, or unnecessary packet drops that force retries.
Buffers across the Starlink network have been right sized to reduce bufferbloat, and queueing algorithms have been improved to increase capacity on their gateway links from the ground to satellites.
Starlink Wi-Fi latency has been improved, with the addition of active queue management (fq_codel) to the Starlink Wi-Fi router. What does this mean in real life? Well, with active queue management enabled, if one person on your Wi-Fi is downloading a big file, and another is playing a game, the queue management will make sure that game latency will not be affected by the download.
How Are Starlink Striving to Reach the Goal of 20ms Latency?
Starlink has been monitoring and gaining metrics across the network to measure latency on every subsystem down to the microsecond over the past few months. They have rigorously tuned their algorithms to prefer paths with lower latency, no matter how small the difference and to remove any and all sources of unnecessary and non-physical latency.
This is just a selection of some of the most impactful changes Starlink has made and continues to make.
Since the beginning of the year, teams have deployed and tested 193 different satellite software builds, 75 gateway software builds, 222 Starlink software builds, and 57 Wi-Fi software builds.
Over 2.6 million people around the world have chosen Starlink as their internet provider via satellite broadband. These customers can expect latency to continue to improve over the coming weeks and months as Starlink prioritises software changes, builds additional ground infrastructure, and launches more satellites.
Future updates from Starlink are expected to include performance stats and more network goals as they work to improve the user experience.
How Can I Check Starlink Latency For My Location?
Be sure to check the latest latency statistics for your region at starlink.com/map.
Is Starlink Fast Enough to Hire for Events?
Absolutely! Here at Geekabit, we are delighted to be able to offer fast, reliable Wi-Fi via Starlink for a range of events and purposes across London and parts of the South of England.
We’ve diligently tested what we can offer via Starlink when it comes to temporary Wi-Fi for outdoor events. Some of our test events included supporting policing events in London, hybrid meetings, rural wedding fairs and a busy city fireworks fundraising event.
For more information on our Starlink hire service, please visit our blog. Fast Wi-Fi hire is available for events with Starlink hire from Geekabit. Feel free to contact us to find out more.
A major new project has launched in Mid-Wales to identify areas with poor 4G mobile broadband coverage. The programme from Growing Mid Wales is aiming to find mobile ‘not-spots’ by installing ‘advanced data-capturing devices’ on waste collection vehicles to measure 4G mobile coverage and network capacity as they move through Powys and Ceredigion.
This idea to map mobile coverage across the region using waste refuse trucks is highly cost-effective, negating the need for logistical costs and hiring of specialist teams and vehicles to achieve the same outcome. The waste collection vehicles go about their regular routes, all the while collecting 4G mobile coverage data.
Growing Mid Wales is part of the Mid Wales Growth Digital Programme. This is a long term investment from the Mid Wales Growth Deal with a combined commitment of £110 million from the UK and Welsh Governments.
4G Mobile Data Collected from 4 Major Networks
Specially equipped waste collection vehicles will collect 4G mobile broadband data from the 4 major Mobile Network Operators in Wales and the rest of the UK – EE, O2, Three UK and Vodafone.
The data collected will then be used by Grow Mid Wales to develop projects and interventions to specifically target key areas where connectivity is more of a challenge. This in turn will help enhance digital infrastructure across the mid-Wales regions.
Free 4G Coverage Checker
Funded by the UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund from the UK Government and supported by the local authorities in Powys and Ceredigion, this project will also produce a coverage checker tool.
Growing Mid Wales is set to launch this free tool later this summer, which will enable people in the Mid Wales area to check mobile coverage and subsequently identify the best mobile provider for their needs. This will provide digital transparency to those in areas where connectivity is more of a challenge.
What do Growing Mid Wales have to say about the project?
“We are thrilled to launch this groundbreaking project in Mid Wales. Identifying and addressing ‘mobile not-spots’ and areas of poor network capacity is crucial for the region’s development.
This initiative aligns with GMW’s overarching goals, supporting decision-making for digital infrastructure deployments, regional economic development, and innovation. Having better information about coverage will increase our ability to work with commercial providers to address genuine not-spots and problem areas in coverage. In turn, this will help us pinpoint the areas where public intervention may be required to accelerate and/or enable deployment to ensure we have safe, reliable coverage across the region.”
Whilst rubbish trucks should visit the majority of locations in these areas, they can’t reach every single location. As with all projects like this, there are some limits, however it’s an interesting and intuitive idea and should produce some useful results when it comes to identifying those areas that are struggling with 4G connectivity.
Ingenuitive 4G coverage mapping
Here at Geekabit, it’s no surprise that we’re excited to see how this project turns out and what takeaways it can have for other rural and remote areas in the UK.
Will we start to see other similar projects popping up in other parts of the UK to map 4G coverage in hard to reach areas? We shall see!
What a time to be alive! Right above our heads, there’s a space race taking place in the skies between LEO satellite broadband providers Starlink and OneWeb.
Making space-based connectivity a reality, these 2 private satellite-broadband companies are building worldwide networks to provide global satellite internet coverage through LEO satellites.
You might think that they are direct competitors, but actually whilst Starlink and OneWeb are similar in many ways, they also significantly differ as well.
So let’s take a look at how 2 of the most innovative companies of our generation compare when it comes to LEO satellite broadband.
What is Starlink?
Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, Elon Musk’s space exploration company SpaceX has a division called Starlink. Starlink consists of a constellation of 6,078 Low Earth Orbit satellites that circle the Earth, aiming to make connectivity possible from anywhere for the average person.
2019 saw Starlink beginning to launch their first satellites, with their satellite broadband service now offering internet access to more than 30 countries.
What is OneWeb?
Founded in 2012 and with investors consisting of the UK government, the Indian telecom firm Bharti Global and Japanese investment group Softbank group, OneWeb is a UK-based broadband satellite organisation that is rapidly expanding connectivity across the globe. CEO Neil Masterson says OneWeb is striving to “provide fibre where there’s no fibre.”
How does Starlink compare to OneWeb?
Let’s take a closer look at the goals, technical specifications, constellations, performance and support of these satellite internet providers.
Business Goals
Whilst to some, Starlink and OneWeb may be considered “rivals”, they are actually more like peers. In fact, SpaceX have even assisted OneWeb by launching 40 OneWeb satellites into orbit using SpaceX rockets.
You may think this is odd, but actually they don’tsee themselves as direct competitors. They have differing business goals and objectives as well as target customers.
Starlink Business Goal
The business mission behind Starlink’s is to provide high-speed internet access to everyone. While that can and does include businesses, the primary aim for Starlink’s is to help residential customers. Especially those based in rural locations where the land-based infrastructure is lacking and connectivity is difficult. Of course, this applies to rural businesses as well.
OneWeb Business Goal
Whilst the business objective of OneWeb is similar, this UK-based company strives to supply high-speed internet to businesses across the globe (rather than residential customers) thus improving IoT. Consumers accessing OneWeb satellite broadband will do so through a secondary business.
Technical Specifications
We can’t host a Starlink vs OneWeb article without looking at the tech specs now can we?
Constellations
First let’s look at the constellations themselves. As we’ve already mentioned, both Starlink and OneWeb’s satellites are in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) – But interestingly they’re not anywhere near each other. Starlink satellites can be found at 550km/340mi from Earth, whereas OneWeb satellites orbit the planet at 1,200km/746mi from Earth.
Starlink has a current fleet of 6,078 satellites in their constellation. They plan to have 7,500 by the end of 2027. OneWeb currently has 648 satellites in their LEO constellation. Although this is the number required for global coverage, they hope to expand to 7,000 satellites in the future.
Whilst Starlink’s fleet might seem more impressive, let’s remember that both Starlink and OneWeb have different objectives and timelines – And both are currently on track to change connectivity through their satellite broadband offerings.
Latency
In simple terms, broadband satellites work by sending and receiving data from Earth. Latency is the time it takes for data to travel back and forth.
Starlink purport to offer a maximum latency of 20 to 40 milliseconds, with field testing finding an average of approximately 40 to 50 milliseconds. This is slightly lower latency than OneWeb, who promise latency of under 100 milliseconds.
Legacy broadband satellites generally have a latency of around 600 milliseconds or more, so both Starlink and OneWeb offer a significant improvement to the previous technology available.
Bandwidth
Starlink and OneWeb both offer substantial bandwidth but each with distinctive features.
Starlink Bandwidth
According to Starlink’s website, Starlink users can generally enjoy download speeds ranging from 25 to 220 Mbps. The majority of customers experience download speeds of over 100 Mbps. Upload speeds are usually found to be within 5 to 20 Mbps.
OneWeb Bandwidth
For those who have critical applications that require a certain bandwidth, OneWeb offers the option to purchase Committed Information Rate (CIR), which ensures a dedicated bandwidth for those applications that are business critical.
OneWeb users can also choose the location of their ground station, allowing the routing of traffic to a specific area.
As part of a demonstration prepared for the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), the company conducted a Proof of Concept (PoC) test, establishing connectivity with its LEO constellation.
A recent Proof of Concept test for the NCIA saw OneWeb achieve seamless streaming of 4K video feeds and simultaneous operation of various applications, including Microsoft Teams, Twitch, and Google Earth. It also saw download speeds of 195Mbps, upload speeds of 32 Mbps and latency as low as 70 milliseconds. A pretty impressive result.
Reliability
Let’s remember that Starlink and OneWeb both have slightly different business goals, so looking at the reliability of each in critical scenarios will shine a light on the different user needs and thus the suitability of each.
Starlink has shown that it offers a highly reliable internet service, especially for users living in remote areas. It has been praised by reviewers worldwide for its high download and upload speeds. It has also shown itself to be a viable option for those where more traditional connectivity options are not available or reliable.
Whilst it has been reported that there are the occasional hiccups (as with all internet provisions, let’s be honest) and its suitability questioned for critical situations and disasters like fires, in ‘normal’ day to day residential life, it performs well and provides reliable broadband where services were previously unavailable.
For larger scale businesses that require a consistent and trustworthy internet experience for critical operations, OneWeb is committed to meet the demand.
It would appear that OneWeb can provide a dependable internet solution in difficult geographical landscapes where ordinary broadband wouldn’t be an option. Business users in hard to reach, remote locations can experience robust and consistent internet connections with OneWeb. Compared to terrestrial networks, OneWeb offers heightened reliability without susceptibility to weather-related disruptions.
Customer Support
If you’ve ever needed to speak to someone about an internet-related problem, then you’ll know how important good customer support is. This is no different in the satellite internet industry.
Starlink’s Customer Support System
The customer support system from Starlink relies exclusively on email support, which could present some problems when trying to provide real-time assistance to users.
OneWeb’s Support System
OneWeb offers an accessible and robust troubleshooting service with 24/7 customer support via telephone assistance.
Starlink vs OneWeb – Quick Recap
As we’ve seen above, the performance, bandwidth, reliability, support systems, and target customer do vary between OneWeb and Starlink. Having an understanding of these differences can help users to identify which reliable, high-performance satellite internet solution would be best for their needs.
Starlink
OneWeb
Number of Satellites
6,078
648
Bandwidth
Majority of users enjoy download speeds of 100 Mbps, ranging up to 220 Mbps
Download speeds up to 150 Mbps
Reliability
Reliable internet service, occasional hiccups reported
Consistent and trustworthy in challenging landscapes
Latency
Advertised: 20-40 ms, Field tests: 40-50 ms (Slightly better than OneWeb)
Sub-100 millisecond latency
Support System
Email support
24/7 phone support
Consumer Base Dynamics
Consumer-oriented, focusing on residential users in rural areas
Business-focused with an emphasis on IoT
Starlink Satellite Broadband with Geekabit
For many UK SME’s who operate in more rural areas, Starlink satellite broadband can offer reliable internet where more traditional methods of connectivity are not an option. If you would like to speak to one of our Wi-Fi experts about whether Starlink satellite broadband could work for your business, then get in touch with our friendly team today.
Starlink satellite broadband can also provide the ideal solution for outdoor events like festivals, shows and charity events – Especially if you have food and beverage vendors trying to take mobile payments! Here at Geekabit, we offer a Starlink broadband hired service – Find out more here.
Having provided Starlink satellite broadband for a variety of different customers and clients – From large scale charity events to rural businesses and remote residential properties – We’ve seen first hand how Starlink internet is a game changer for people who aren’t able to get a reliable connection from mobile Wi-Fi or fibre broadband.
Business Starlink vs. Residential Starlink
Did you know that Starlink offers both a Residential and Business internet service? If you’re wondering how they differ from one another and whether it’s worth going for the Business service, then you’re in the right place!
Is Bigger Better? Let’s Talk Differences in Dish Size
The dish used for Starlink Business internet services is physically bigger than the Residential package dish. There are big benefits of using the Starlink Business antenna with more elements for better performance:
More powerful signals can be sent and received
They perform better in all weather conditions and are more durable
Improved performance through better quality connections and lower latency
When more satellites are in the sky, they offer a higher bandwidth
In terms of numbers, the business antenna offers a 140 degrees view, compared to the 110 degrees from the Residential antenna. This increases the service availability by 4 times compared to before.
GPS functionality is also enhanced as well as improving the visibility of the satellite by about 35%.
Starlink uses a beam-forming technique for their high-performance dishes, which creates a cone of connectivity to satellites. During satellite transitions, there can be ‘mini outages’ but with the bigger dishes these occur less and are less disruptive due to the upgraded business antenna elements offering faster processing.
Starlink Business dishes are highly durable with IP56 protection, meaning they can withstand strong jets of water. This is in comparison to the Residential antennas which have IP54 protection which protects them against just splashes.
What does this mean in real terms? Basically, Starlink Business dishes perform better in extreme weather. Not only does the upgraded heat management system mean that it can offer speeds 3 times faster when temperatures exceed 35 degrees, but the Starlink Business antenna also melts snow 1.7 times faster.
Get Priority Bandwidth with Starlink Business
Many home users can get everything they need from a Starlink Residential package, but if you need power then Starlink Business could be the better choice. One big plus of Starlink Business is that you are given higher priority traffic than those on Residential plans.
We mentioned earlier that the higher performing dish on the Starlink Business service has 35% more visibility – Basically the ability to view 35% more of the sky. This means it can connect to more satellites and maintain those connections better.
What speeds can you get on Starlink Business compared to Residential?
Starlink Business:
Download speeds – 100-350mbps
Upload speeds – 10-50 mbps
Lower latency
Starlink Residential:
Download – Up to 100 mbps
Starlink Connectivity for Extreme Environments
If your business needs hardware to keep you connected in extreme weather environments (e.g. high humidity, high/low temperatures, heavy snowfall) then the high performance Starlink Business dish is unlikely to let you down.
For businesses, having 24/7 bandwidth to support business operations is imperative. The service from Starlink Business can offer more stability, faster connections and fewer dropouts.
Connectivity via Venn and Starlink
The great thing about Starlink Business is that it can benefit organisations big or small. Through a high performance dish, upgrading to Starlink Business could bring your organisation:
A better quality connection
Lower latency
Improved performance
Starlink hardware can be combined for organisations who need to cover large, critical sites for multiple and many users needing high availability.
Venn Telecom has partnered with Starlink, enabling the connection of multiple high-performance Starlink antennas and simultaneous connections to various 5G networks. This enhances reliability and speed even further.
Starlink Satellite Broadband with Geekabit
If you’re considering Starlink satellite broadband as an alternative way to connect to the internet – For a business or event – Then get in touch with our Wi-Fi expert today. We’ve seen the difference Starlink can make for those in remote or rural areas.
SpaceX is trying to increase the capacity of its ultrafast broadband via LEO (Low Earth Orbit) constellation of satellites by seeking approval from Ofcom to get a variation on its existing gateway. They plan to do this by increasing the number of gateway antennas at multipe UK sites and by adopting additional bands.
Starlink LEO Satellites
At the moment, Starlink have a network of 5,289 LEO satellites. They orbit the Earth at an altitude of around 500km.
SpaceX Starlink has approval to expand this number to approximately 7,500 satellites by the end of 2027.
What is the Cost of Starlink Satellite Broadband?
For UK customers, costs start at £75 per month. There is an additional cost for the £449 regular home kit which includes a standard dish, router and relevant kit. There is also a shipping fee of £20 on the Standard package.
By the end of last year, Starlink had a global network of 2.3 million customers (now at 2.6m). 42,000 of those customers were based in the UK (which is up from 13,000 in 2022). Most of these UK customers are based in rural areas.
Starlink Broadband Speed
The Standard Starlink broadband package promises download speeds of between 25 and 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 5-10 Mbps. It also offers latency times of 25-50 ms.
What licenses do SpaceX currently hold for Starlink Satellite Broadband?
SpaceX Starlink currently holds multiple NGSO (Non-Geostationary Earth Station) gateway licenses to operate the network. These NGSO gateway licenses help to connect their NGSO system to the internet via large dishes on the ground.
SpaceX is asking to update 4 of these in order to help boost capacity and meet the growing demand for its broadband services. This follows their recent upgrade to their latest Gen 2 satellites.
In specific terms, SpaceX want Ofcom to give them permission to increase the number of antennas at 4 of their 7 sites:
Fawley
Isle of Man
Wherstead
Woodwalton
Currently, these 4 gateway sites are allowed to operate up to a 9 Ka-band parabolic antennas. These are used to operate their service to UK customers and those in adjacent countries.
The request for approval to Ofcom from SpaceX includes:
An extra 24 antennas at Fawley, Wherestead and Woodwalton. This would bring the total to 32 antennas for these sites.
These new antennas are planned to operate in bands 27.5-28.0525 GHz, 28.4445-29.0605 GHz, 29.4525-30GHz.
An extra 32 antennas at the site on the Isle of Man. This would bring the total to 40 for this site. SpaceX already have access to the frequencies they want to operate at for this site (27.5-30GHz).
The regulator’s consultation is open for responses until the 31st May 2024. They state that their initial assessment is that the requested variation from SpaceX should not:
Affect other licensed NGSO services
Future NGSO services
GSO services
Fixed links operating in the same user frequencies
Over in the US, SpaceX Starlink already have authorisation from the FCC for their Gen 1 constellation for 4,408 satellites and their Gen 2 constellation for 7,500.
What are Starlink’s competitors upto?
Inmarsat (Viasat), another satellite operator, has also applied for an NGSO Earth Station Network License for its new GX-10 non-geostationary orbiting satellite system.
Inmarsat also plan to extend the coverage of their existing Global Xpress satellite system over the polar region. This will provide communication services to government, defence, aero and maritime commercial customers.
Whilst their primary focus for their service area is latitudes above 65N, their satellites will also provide intermittent service over parts of the UK.
Their service will use the Ka-band frequencies 19.7 – 20.2GHz and 29.5 – 30GHz, and whilst Ofcom are consulting on this until the 31st May, they have provisionally approved the request.
Starlink Satellite Broadband Hire for Events from Geekabit
Did you know about Geekabit’s new service? We can provide your event – Indoor or outdoor – with Starlink satellite broadband hire, even in rural areas.
If your event is being held in London, Hampshire, Sussex, Dorset or Wiltshire and you’re interested in reliable event internet then get in touch with our Wi-Fi experts today.
Internet Service Provider 4th Utility published results of a new survey last month, reporting that among the 2000 respondents there was a major lack of understanding of vital broadband terms amongst consumers.
4th Utility is an ISP who is currently in the midst of deploying a gigabit speed FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) network to large residential buildings and UK homes. Despite the fact that the term ‘full fibre’ is widely used and that the service is ‘being used by most UK households’, surprisingly their recent ‘Great British Broadband Survey’ found that just 1 in 5 residents actually know what that means.
What Does ‘Full Fibre’ Broadband Mean?
Just in case you’re one of the 1 in 5 who aren’t sure what full fibre broadband refers to, full fibre broadband means that your home is directly connected to the exchange using fibre optic cables.
Standard fibre cables are connected to your home via a street cabinet (so fibre cables from the exchange to the street cabinet and then different cables from the street cabinet to your home). This service uses older copper cables to connect to your home, which are an older technology and less reliable than fibre cables.
28% Have Adopted Full Fibre Network, Ofcom Says
Whilst 4th Utility claims that full fibre is ‘already being used by most households,’ Ofcom says differently.
Full fibre might be available to most UK households, but not all those who are able to adopt the service have done so. According to Ofcom, only 28% of households able to get a full fibre network have adopted the service.
Coverage is not the same as take up!
Is Broadband Baffling?
Despite the slight confusion about full fibre coverage and take up, the fact remains that many consumers are bewildered about broadband terms.
Some respondents said they still weren’t sure what full fibre meant, even after they had had it explained to them. 20% of the 2000 people surveyed said they weren’t sure whether they had the service in their home after having it explained to them, 25% said they didn’t have it and the remaining 45% said they did have full fibre in their home.
Let’s run through some of the other terms that the respondents found confusing, as well as their meanings.
What is Bandwidth?
Only 9% of the respondents knew what bandwidth means. Network bandwidth is a measurement indicating the maximum capacity of a wired or wireless communications link to transmit data over a network connection.
Bandwidth specifically refers to the capacity at which a network can transmit data. For example, if the bandwidth of a network is 60 Mbps, it implies that the network cannot transmit data faster than 60 Mbps in any given case.
What does FTTP mean?
FTTP stands for fibre to the premises and is a type of fibre optic broadband. FTTP is supplied by fibre optic cables from your local internet exchange — a physical location where network providers transmit internet data — directly to your business’s premises.
What is meant by ‘Superfast’ broadband?
Superfast broadband is a broad category of speeds, running from 30Mbps to 100Mbps. The faster your broadband speed, the faster you can download files, movies and games.
Superfast speeds usually reach homes via a part-fibre broadband connection, which uses fibre-optic cables up until the local street cabinet, and then copper phone lines for the final leg of the journey to your home.
Some form of superfast broadband is available to 97% of the UK from the majority of internet service providers, and in many cases is actually more affordable than slower, old-fashioned ADSL connections, especially if you happen to be out of contract on an ADSL package.
Some full fibre deals will offer superfast speeds too, but they come with the capability to boost your speed much further – all the way up to 1Gbps.
What is ‘Ultrafast’ internet?
Ultrafast broadband is generally considered any broadband connection that supplies 100Mbps or faster.
The telecoms regulator Ofcom defines ultrafast as “broadband which offers download speeds of at least 300 Mbps”. However, some providers that use the ultrafast broadband term don’t offer those speeds.
Several broadband providers use the term ‘ultrafast broadband’ to refer to their top-end broadband packages. However, providers use different technologies to deliver their broadband services to your home, and as a result the speeds they can offer also differ significantly.
It can sound confusing, but the general rule of thumb is, that if a provider is labelling a package as ultrafast broadband, it’s one of the fastest packages they provide.
The fastest broadband you can get might not necessarily be the fastest broadband available on the market. It might not even be the fastest broadband your next-door neighbour can get. If you’re not sure what types of broadband are available where you live, you can check to see what the fastest broadband in your area is with the Uswitch postcode checker.
What does Internet of Things mean?
Just 8% of the people surveyed knew what Internet of Things (IoT) meant. The term IoT, or Internet of Things, refers to the collective network of connected devices and the technology that facilitates communication between devices and the cloud, as well as between the devices themselves.
Key Findings of 4th Utility ‘Great British Broadband Survey’
Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting findings from 4th Utility’s recent survey.
What utility nightmare do Brits fear the most?
30% feared a boiler breakdown as the biggest utility nightmare
23% were worried about a water leak
13% were concerned about a total blackout causing utility problems
12% of those surveyed considered a broadband outage as a utility nightmare
Slow internet causing household arguments
20% of respondents reported having slow internet at least 3 times per month, and 1 in 3 said it happened twice a month. Over half of those surveyed (51%) said that slow Wi-Fi caused heated arguments in their household, happening to 3 in 10 people a few times a month, or more.
Over 50% of those surveyed said that they have broadband speed issues, with 14% of those saying it was a weekly occurrence. However, the root cause of those speed issues seemed to be challenging to identify, with 7% of respondents saying they thought that not turning their router off at night was the reason for their problems…
What do UK residents pay for broadband?
Of the 2000 people surveyed, nearly half said they pay over £30 per month for their broadband connection. 1 in 10 people said their broadband bill came to £50 or more per month. The average price for broadband per month was £33.52 for UK households.
Broadband Bewilderment is Nothing New
Here at Geekabit, we might be experts at all things Wi-Fi and wireless connectivity, but even we can sympathise with people getting confused over all the acronyms and terminology when it comes to broadband. It’s no wonder consumers feel a bit baffled.
It’s not a new problem, and it doesn’t help that those in charge (regulators and government) seem to like to change the definitions of things fairly often.
The threshold for ‘superfast’ broadband and download speeds has changed from 24 Mbps to 30 Mbps+ (to match with the EU). And with ‘ultrafast’ speeds on the scene, the speed of ‘superfast’ may be questionable anyways.
Many in the Wi-Fi industry think of ‘ultrafast’ broadband as being 100 Mbps+, whereas Ofcom defines it as 300 Mbps+, so no wonder consumers feel confused at all the jargon.
Often the best course of action is to look at what services are available to your premises, and then compare the advertised speeds from different providers. At the end of the day, even if you don’t know all the lingo, all you need to ensure is that you have an internet service that works, at the speeds you have been promised.
New Ofcom Guidelines to be Introduced Later This Year
Perhaps most annoyingly, some ISP’s use terms like ‘fibre’ broadband and ‘full fibre’ when it’s not strictly the truth. For example, using the term ‘fibre broadband’ to describe connections like FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) when it’s actually slower, hybrid-fibre connections.
Ofcom’s new guidelines will mean that ISP’s will only be able to use terms like ‘fibre’ and ‘full fibre’ broadband when their network actually brings fibre optic cables all the way to your home (ie. FTTP/B). These new guidelines should help make things clearer for consumers, and will come in later in 2024.
Business Broadband ISP Beaming recently commissioned a survey by Censuswide where UK based businesses were asked about their business broadband connections.
The survey claimed that the surveyed businesses reported over 50 million lost hours due to internet failures in 2023, equating to a loss of £3.7 billion.
Reductions in Time Lost, But a Soar in Associated Costs
Interestingly however, over the last 5 years the time businesses have lost has dropped by a fifth.
In 2023, the survey estimates that UK businesses experienced a cumulative 8.8 million internet failures, culminating in 50.5 million hours of downtime disrupting business processes, the ability to trade and impairing access to vital services. This is down from 60 million hours back in 2018.
Despite a reduction in hours of downtime, the survey claims that the cost of this downtime has increased from £742m in 2018 to £3.7bn in 2023.
Thankfully, things like the adoption of full fibre lines and improvements in broadband and network connection technologies does mean that incidents of internet downtime and failures are less common.
On the flip side however, businesses are relying more and more on reliable connectivity for business process, operations and trading which we’ve seen increase over the last 5 years. This means that the cost of this downtime through missed sales, lost productivity and other business disruptions has risen by a whopping 400%.
15% of UK businesses lose money as soon as connectivity fails
The survey highlighted an increased dependence on connectivity, with businesses relying on a strong connection for things like:
Communication
E-commerce
Access to cloud applications
This means that approximately 850,000 UK businesses would start to lose money the very moment their connectivity fails.
Compared to 5 years ago, this is 81,000 more firms.
39% of UK businesses would lose money during an 8-hour outage
If a business were to have an 8-hour internet outage, in other words a standard working day, 39% of UK businesses would lose money. This is an increase of 5% from 34% in 2018, and equates to 240,000 companies across the UK.
Financial losses begin from 6 hour internet failures
The survey found that the median time for financial losses to begin following an internet failure is 6 hours for businesses with employees. This was true for employers of all sizes, from micro-companies (2-10 employees) to big businesses with more than 250 staff members.
Internet disruptions worst for SME’s
During 2023, it was found that SME’s were hit the hardest by internet disruptions.
They experienced an average of 3-4 failures culminating in 19 hours of downtime each. For those working a standard 8-hour day and 5-day week, more than 2 working days a year were lost to internet downtime.
Biggest financial impact of internet downtime on Hospitality, IT and Manufacturing sectors
The sectors most affected by internet failures and downtime were found to be hospitality, IT and manufacturing. These sectors suffered the biggest financial impact.
Hospitality businesses lost on average 27 hours to internet downtime in 2023, with businesses in the IT sector losing an estimated £555 million because of connectivity failures.
A Couple of Caveats
As always with studies like these, there are a couple of cautions to take into consideration.
The study doesn’t explicitly define what an ‘internet failure’ actually is, so that could be anything from a problem with a site’s broadband ISP connection to a local network failure in an office.
These different issues have likely been lumped together for the purposes of this survey.
It’s also important to remember that Beaming being a UK based business ISP proves a vested interest in the results of this survey.
It’s hard to imagine a time or place when you couldn’t quickly check your emails or have a scroll through Instagram. Isn’t it the most frustrating thing when you hit a Wi-Fi deadspot? No connection, nothing, no matter how many times you reload the page. We are so accustomed to working remotely (I’m actually looking out at the solent whilst typing this!) and taking the internet with you wherever you go, it’s very difficult to contemplate a life without Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity.
Did you know that Wi-Fi very nearly didn’t happen in the first place? Wi-Fi almost hit its very own deadspot – And wouldn’t that have changed our lives as we know it! So how did Wi-Fi come about?
When was Wi-Fi officially launched?
On the 25th September 1999, coming up to 25 years ago, Wi-Fi was officially launched. If you think about the fuss that’s made over a new product launch from Apple, then you might have expected the launch of Wi-Fi itself to be a rather flashy affair.
In reality, it was a bit Big Bang Theory-esque – A convention centre in Atlanta housing 8 technophiles ready to open their jackets to reveal polo shirts emblazoned with the made-up word Wi-Fi. And all in front of a crowd of just 60 people.
Some of the biggest tech companies, and some smaller ones too, backed the launch enthusiastically. Even the likes of Apple, Dell and Nokia could never have imagined that they were backing such a huge global phenomenon with incredible economic, social and cultural impact across the world.
It was the summer of ‘99
Think back to the summer of 1999, if you can. The working world was mostly using wired networks via Ethernet cable. LAN’s (Local Area Networks) connected desktop computers at a rate of 10 Mbps.
Meanwhile, those trying to send emails from home did so to the sound of a modem trying to connect to another modem via repurposed telephone infrastructure. Dial-up internet and 56 Kbps dial up modems clanked and clanged their way online. Arguments were had over who needed to use the computer and who needed to use the telephone.
There were products for WLAN’s (Wireless Local Area Networks) but these were predominantly just for businesses. The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) official wireless standard specification for these wireless products was 802.11. Not only were these products expensive, they were also 5 times slower than their wired equivalent.
Despite there being a specified wireless standard, this unfortunately didn’t mean that one standards compliant wireless product would be compatible with another. This was largely due to the fact that there were different ways of interpreting the specification.
These weaknesses meant that some companies looked elsewhere and chose to support other rival technology alliances – Each with their own aim of becoming the actual standard.
Wi-Fi’s rival – HomeRF
One of these rival specifications was developed by a consortium of other technology giants – Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel and Microsoft. Their WLAN ‘HomeRF’ was aimed at consumers (rather than businesses) and was backed by over 80 other companies. In comparison to the other standard, the HomeRF products were not only cheaper but could also communicate with each other.
With a name like HomeRF (short for Home Radio Frequency) it arguably had a catchier name than IEEE 802.11. They didn’t just have their eyes on the consumer market – They also had big plans for expansion and higher speeds for the business market.
Despite all of this, the second generation of the IEEE standard, 802.11b was heading steadily for its final approval at the end of September. By the end of the year, there were products due to ship from company 3Com (later acquired by HP along with Compaq). Their products were based on the newer, faster standard and set for release before 1999 ended.
At the time, networking firm 3Com formed WECA (Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance) bringing together 5 strong advocates for IEEE. Their aim was to make sure that any products using the pending second generation standard would all be compatible with each other.
Originally tipped to be named ‘FlankSpeed’, connectivity as we know it today was trademarked as Wi-Fi. There began the establishment of the rules by which wireless products could be deemed ‘Wi-Fi Certified.’
What if Wi-Fi had not won out against HomeRF?
Wi-Fi won the wireless standard race, but what if HomeRF had in fact taken the lead? There are ways that all might not have worked out as it has.
If the second generation standard 802.11b had been delayed, then HomeRF may have been able to sneak ahead. It was only due to a compromise between WLAN industry pioneers (and foes) Lucent Technologies and Harris Semiconductor that meant there was no delay.
What if FlankSpeed was only available at work?
So what if WECA had decided only to focus on business connectivity? That was a discussed possibility. ‘Go anywhere’ connectivity almost wasn’t on the table. And what if ‘FlankSpeed’ had been chosen over ‘Wi-Fi’?
A big chunk of today’s workforce rely on being able to bring work home with them. And not just home – What about coffee shops, airports, on the daily commute sitting on the train, the beach even? Nowadays we tend to take work with us wherever we go.
Had we been using FlankSpeed at the office and HomeRF at home, this would have made things very difficult for anyone working from home. And you can forget about coffee-shop-working and catching up on emails waiting for a plane – It’s possible neither of these public access options would exist. Zones that were not home or the office would have been a no-go (or NoHO (Not Home, Not Office) for working online. Spaces that were neither office nor home would have been a connectivity no man’s land.
And if you’re wondering about FlankSpeed and Smartphones – That would have been a no as well. The mobile world of online connectivity disappears into the mist, out of grasp. Can you imagine? No, we can’t either.
Would it have been beneficial to have more than just one wireless standard?
The benefits of having a singular focus on just the one standard meant that there was more scope for innovation and cost reduction.
Even if FlankSpeed or HomeRF had gone forth alongside Wi-Fi, it couldn’t have ever become as cheap to run or prevalent and globally penetrating as Wi-Fi.
Having a universal standard means that retail stores, public spaces and anywhere where we would now expect to be able to connect, could roll it out uninhibited. Had this not been the case, the ability to stream video whilst sipping a coffee or connect to emails whilst sitting on the train may not be available.
Thinking on a global level, those living in emerging market countries like Nigeria, rely on free Wi-Fi hotspots to be able to connect to the rest of the world. Remote islands like the Bahamas also rely on Wi-Fi to get support following adverse weather conditions like hurricanes. In this way, Wi-Fi provides critical connections all over the world.
HomeRF folded in 2003 – So how did Wi-Fi succeed so quickly?
As with all well-laid plans, it’s all in the preparation and timing. With the announcement of the name Wi-Fi and the promise of certified interoperability from WECA, companies investing in this new wireless standard had the assurance that their products would all work together.
In 2000, 86% of Wi-Fi devices were used for business. Wireless connection in businesses was big business in itself, with chipmakers and PC companies quickly hopping off the fence to support and join Wi-Fi. This led tech giants Microsoft and Intel to jump ship from HomeRF to Wi-Fi. Wireless for business soared in popularity ahead of in the home, which gave Wi-Fi chip volume a boost. This in turn led to closing the cost gap between that and HomeRF, leading it to fold in 2003.
Since then, over the past 2 decades the Wi-Fi Alliance and IEEE have worked together to represent, guide and oversee Wi-Fi and its subsequent standards.
The IEEE committee continues to roll-out new standards, and the WI-Fi Alliance makes sure that certified products can communicate with each other.
So the next time you hit a Wi-Fi deadspot, or find that the Wi-Fi is down in your favourite coffee shop – Stop and breathe. Count your blessings that you can take your work with you wherever you go (mostly) and that you can largely connect via Wi-Fi wherever you need it.
Do you wonder how the UK fares against other European countries in regards to broadband and mobile connectivity? Well, you might have to wonder a bit more.
Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, carries out various reports on performance, looking at things like UK broadband and mobile connectivity compared with other major EU economies like France, Germany, Spain, Italy etc.
However, it seems that Ofcom have covertly scrapped their annual international comparison despite having been publishing it since back in 2013 when they began the International Broadband Scorecard.
The report examined various connectivity benchmarks within fixed and mobile broadband performances across different countries, such as:
Network availability
Take-up
Use
Prices
This then enabled them to measure and compare them with the relative performance of the UK.
Where did the data come from?
Ofcom normally relied on Omdia-Informa Tech, a third party provider, to supply the data for the non-UK countries included in the report.
However, as this data is available from Omdia-Informa Tech (as well as other similar telecoms research companies) to anyone who is prepared to pay a fee, Ofcom decided that them stopping their publication of the data would not hinder stakeholders and the like from being able to benchmark the UK broadband offering against the international market themselves.
Scrapping of International Broadband Scorecard a Cost-Cutting Measure?
It would seem to us that this move to scrap the report is likely a cost-cutting measure. This is unfortunate as the reporting was a useful point of comparison to see how the UK was doing in regards to broadband and mobile connectivity on an annual basis when compared without our European counterparts.
Despite the fact that Ofcom rarely promotes their reports which meant the information they provided was often missed, they have provided some handy and relevant information in past years.
Can I get the Broadband and Mobile Connectivity Data Somewhere Else?
Thankfully, yes! There is an annual report published from the European Commission that goes some way to compare the UK with EU countries on Broadband and Mobile connectivity (you can find the latest one here).
If you want to check out the latest summary from the final Scorecard from Ofcom for 2023 (with data from the latter part of 2022) the interactive report is online here.
