United Kingdom - Broadband - Fixed Network Insights, Statistics and Forecasts

Synopsis

The UK’s broadband infrastructure is characterised by excellent cross-platform competition, with comprehensive DSL complemented by cable networks which reach about half of all households. The DSL network has been upgraded during the last few years as a result of BT’s migration to its new 21CN. Virgin Media has emerged as the best provider in terms of realised speeds – the company has rolled out a 120Mb/s service across much of its footprint, with a programme during 2012 to double broadband speeds to customers. In addition, BT’s FttC/VDSL service should cover 66% of the population by 2015.

The market remains fiercely competitive as a result of regulatory measures to provide competitor access to BT’s exchanges, while similar measures have been undertaken to ensure equal access on fibre networks. Broadband has also been characterised by falling prices and by a gradual increase in average data speeds. This report profiles the overall UK broadband market, covering broadband technologies and including the latest statistics, an update on recent commercial initiatives, an assessment of Next Generation Access, and forecasts to 2020.

Key developments:

Virgin Media trials the world’s fastest cable broadband, at 1.5Gb/s, 100Mb/s service extended to ten million households; government allocates £363 million for regional broadband schemes; Fujitsu, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Cisco announce plans for open-access FttH platform to five million homes; Virgin Media’s 100Mb/s platform reaches a quarter of all UK homes; BT to extend ADSL2+ to 90% of premises by mid-2013, plans to double FttC download to 80Mb/s in 2012; community fibre deployment gaining traction; Rutland Telecom plans for county-wide FttH platform; Fujitsu connects first customers to its FttH network; BT to develop 300Mb/s service in 2012; regular’s market data to Q3 2011; operator data to 2011; market developments into early 2012.

Companies covered in this report include:

Virgin Media, BT, Kcom, Orange, Carphone Warehouse, BSkyB, O2.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Overview
  • 2.1 Broadband statistics
  • 2.2 Emerging trends
    • 2.2.1 E-Health initiatives
    • 2.2.2 Cloud services
  • 2.3 Government support
    • 2.3.1 Digital Britain
    • 2.3.2 Wholesale broadband
    • 2.3.3 Access to cable networks
• 3. Cable modems
• 4. Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
  • 4.1 DSL providers
  • 4.2 ADSL2+
  • 4.3 SDSL
  • 4.4 Very High Data Rate DSL (VDSL)
• 5. Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH) networks
  • 5.1 BT
  • 5.2 Virgin
  • 5.3 KCom
  • 5.4 Other developments
  • 5.5 Costing fibre
• 6. Broadband Powerline (BPL)
• 7. Forecasts – broadband subscribers – 2007 - 2012; 2020
  • 7.1 Scenario 1 – higher broadband subscriber growth
  • 7.2 Scenario 2 – lower broadband subscriber growth
  • 7.3 Notes on scenario forecasts
• 8. Related reports

• Table 1 – Fixed-line broadband retail revenue – 2001 - 2012
• Table 2 – Broadband connections by type – 2002 - 2010
• Table 3 – Internet connections by consumer group – 2003 - 2010
• Table 4 – Market share of broadband subscribers by type – 2002 - 2009
• Table 5 – Share of fixed and mobile broadband subscribers by provider – 2006 - 2010
• Table 6 – Market share of broadband subscribers by provider – 2005 - 2010
• Table 7 – Broadband penetration by technology – 2004 - 2012
• Table 8 – Cable and DSL broadband subscribers – 2004 - 2012
• Table 9 – Dial-up internet subscribers – 2004 - 2012
• Table 10 – Percentage internet access by dial-up and broadband – 2000 - 2012
• Table 11 – PC, broadband and internet household penetration – 2003 - 2012
• Table 12 – Value of e-commerce sales – 2007 - 2012
• Table 13 – Internet daily traffic – 2007 - 2012
• Table 14 – Consumer broadband download speed by market share – 2005 - 2009
• Table 15 – BT Openreach full LLU lines – 2009 - 2011
• Table 16 – Virgin Media subscribers by sector – 2007 - 2011
• Table 17 – Virgin Media ARPU – 2007 - 2011
• Table 18 – Virgin Media revenue – 2007 - 2011
• Table 19 – xDSL subscribers – 2000 - 2012
• Table 20 – BT retail and wholesale broadband subscribers – 2004 - 2011
• Table 21 – BT retail and wholesale revenue – 2009 - 2011
• Table 22 – Estimated cost of fibre by deployment technology – 2011
• Table 23 – Forecast broadband subscribers – higher market growth scenario – 2007 - 2012; 2020
• Table 24 – Forecast broadband penetration – higher market growth scenario – 2007 - 2012; 2020

• Chart 1 – Broadband connections by type – 2002 – 2010
• Chart 2 – Internet connections by consumer group – 2003 - 2010
• Chart 3 – Market share of broadband subscribers by type – 2002 - 2009
• Chart 4 – Cable and DSL broadband subscribers – 2004 - 2012
• Chart 5 – Virgin Media subscribers by sector – 2007 – 2011
• Chart 6 – BT retail and wholesale broadband subscribers – 2004 - 2011
• Chart 7 – BT retail and wholesale revenue (year to Mar) – 2009 - 2011
• Chart 8 – Forecast broadband subscribers – higher market growth scenario – 2007 - 2012; 2020
• Chart 9 – Forecast broadband subscribers – lower market growth scenario – 2007 - 2012; 2020