New report reveals communications coverage & capacity
New Ofcom data shows that 97% of premises and 66% of the UK landmass can receive a 2G signal outdoors from all four 2G networks. This means that approximately 900,000 UK premises do not have a choice of all four 2G mobile networks.
For 3G, 73% of premises and 13% of the UK’s landmass can receive a signal outdoors from all five 3G networks, with lower coverage in less densely populated areas. This means that approximately 7.7million UK premises do not have a choice of all five 3G mobile networks.
The areas of lowest 3G geographic coverage are in the highlands of Scotland and mid-Wales, which are both sparsely populated with hilly terrain.
Ofcom is currently working closely with the Government to consider how the £150 million that it has allocated to help address mobile not-spots, can deliver the greatest benefits for UK consumers.
Demand for data
The report also shows significant demand for broadband data from UK consumers. Residential fixed broadband customers are using on average 17 Gigabytes of data per month. This is the equivalent to downloading more than 11 films per month, streaming 12 hours of BBC iPlayer HD video or more than 12 days of streaming audio content.
This compares with mobile broadband demand, which is on average 0.24 Gigabytes per month per connection.
The report reveals a substantial increase in data use over time. Data from the London Internet Exchange shows that traffic over its network, which connects UK internet service providers, has increased seven fold in the past five years.
Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) and Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB)
The new Ofcom maps also include Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) coverage and Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) radio coverage. The report shows that DTT national coverage is 89% and DAB national coverage is 91% for public service broadcasting channels.
Ofcom’s first report to Government gives a snapshot of the UK’s communications infrastructure and provides a base against which Ofcom can measure in subsequent reports.
To see the new Ofcom maps, including broadband speeds, local TV coverage and digital radio reception, click here.