U.K. telecom regulator Ofcom recently completed its Strategic Review of Digital Communications. The study aims to improve access to high-quality telecom services in the U.K. for both consumers and businesses. One of the study's mandates is to open up Openreach's infrastructure to other providers wishing to lay their own fiber. The study concluded that the British Telecom subsidiary discriminates against rivals and stifles broadband competition.
While fiber connectivity options for U.K. businesses are expanding, the market for very-high bandwidth services is still nascent. Plans with more than 200 Mbps of downstream bandwidth, for example, are rare. Fiber build-outs by BT, Sky, and KCOM Group are underway but near-Gigabit products that represent the cutting edge of business broadband offerings are not widely available. A few niche ISPs offer plans with up to 1 Gbps of downstream bandwidth in limited areas.
U.K. Business Broadband Service Options
In contrast, our research data show business broadband downstream speeds of 500 Mbps are broadly available in neighboring France, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands.
This data and in-depth analysis of the global business broadband market is covered in TeleGeography’s Business Broadband Research Service. The data service provides users with:
- Specific plan details, including access type, bandwidth, and monthly cost
- Side-by-side provider comparisons and subscription selection tools
- Analysis that provides a view of country- and region-wide metrics
Elliott Cheresh
Elliott was formerly a member of TeleGeography's pricing team. He specialized in pricing analysis for international private line, IP transit, broadband, and enterprise products, with a regional focus on Eastern Europe, Russia, and Eurasia.