21581 - SCTE Broadband August2022 COMPLETE v1

27 Vol. 44 No. 3 - September 2022 Issue For more information, see https://broadpeak.tv/newsroom/ Independent broadband providers increasingly in demand, new report reveals industry news More than 5.5 million homes and businesses in the UK can now connect to an independent fibre broadband network, according to new figures recently published. For the first time, the total number of live connections provided by the alt nets is above 1m. Compiled for the Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA) by Point Topic using data provided by independent network operators across the country, this year’s ‘Metrics for the UK independent network sector’ report shows that the sector has again doubled in size over the previous year. The independent sector continues to pull in significant sums of private funding with investment and expenditure commitments predicted to reach £17.7bn by the end of 2025. When combined with the £12bn announced by BT Group, the £5bn announced by government, and £2bn planned by VM02, investment levels will exceed the previous estimates of £30bn for bringing next generation networks to every property in the UK. INCA’s Chief Executive, Malcolm Corbett said: “This continued high level of investment, coupled with commitments from others in the private sector like BT and Virgin Media, and the money being put in by government, shows that the UK is on track, for the first time in its history, to have proper broadband infrastructure competition. Independent network operators are a key piece of this connectivity jigsaw which will offer consumers real choice and drive innovation in the broadband services they consume.” “This report shows the increasing maturity of the independent broadband sector”, commented INCA Chairman, Alex Blowers. “It is now transitioning from fundraising and planning mode to delivery and execution stage and is undeniably a key partner in the delivery of a 21st century digital UK. It is now crucial that the government and Ofcom ensure momentum is maintained, by evolving the underlying policy and regulatory framework in support of the infrastructure competition that has now arrived in the UK,” Mr Blowers continued. Emmanuel Vella, VP Sales EMEA Network at CommScope, said: “The latest report from INCA only underlines our belief that all homes and businesses should be on a level playing field in terms of connectivity – regardless of location. As internet access and fast speeds become an expectation, we are faced with an imperative to think of networks as a utility, much like water or heat. Increasing urbanisation, data-hungry digital applications, and the addition of millions of new users into the network will all play a critical role in fuelling the demand for a stronger, more reliable, and secure network.  Building the infrastructure to supply fast, reliable connectivity to homes across the UK will ultimately underpin our efforts to build back better from the pandemic and help in the government’s aim to ‘level up’ our economy. However, developing infrastructure solutions that solve the needs of today while anticipating the demands of tomorrow takes an end-to-end approach. Transforming every aspect of the network, from the core to the edge—with both wired and wireless connections will take dedicated time and investment from all across the industry. Emmanuel concluded, “At CommScope we’re working to deliver broadband for everyone, improve economic equality and growth, and facilitate social mobility and participation, in order to realise the idea of connectivity as a true utility. Investment in the digital acceleration of our country is crucial because it will have long-term and far-reaching benefits for us all.” More on that report in our INCA special on page 42. API but has since evolved, enabling operators to address a growing number of use cases, such as the Emergency Alert System, simultaneous substitution (simsub), watershed, regionalisation, and pay per view. broadpeak.io is backed by 24/7 customer support, providing a seamless service that is approachable for companies of all sizes.