2020.08.14 – Open Broadband News

Gig-Gig Hooray! UK government celebrates gigabit milestone

Almost 500,000 premises across the UK have been connected to gigabit-capable broadband since summer 2018. This is part of a £1 billion (€1.11bn) government funding commitment until the end of 2021, with a further £5 billion for the hardest-to-reach areas to be earmarked soon.

It means that, alongside commercial investment, more than 7.5 million premises can now access gigabit capable broadband, compared to around 1.4 million premises two years ago.

“It’s fantastic to see so many people getting access to gigabit speed broadband,” said Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman. “This is thanks to our investment alongside the sterling work of industry. Today I urge people in rural communities in the digital slow lane to apply for the immediate financial help available so they can seize the benefits of better connectivity – from making work easier to catching up with family and friends. I am also launching a new drive with business and consumer champions to make more people aware of just how beneficial better, faster broadband can be.”

5G will be critical for COVID-19 recovery

According to Devdiscourse, communication technologies play a vital role in times of extreme disruption. From enabling contact tracing and telemedicine to supporting virtual learning and e-business, digital communication technologies have been a lifeline to humanity in the COVID-19 pandemic era.

5G – the next-generation cellular technology that promises to offer higher bandwidth, massive connections, and lower latency as compared to the existing 4G LTE network – is critical in supporting the ongoing fight against this deadly virus and will act as one of the driving forces in the recovery process. The technology is not just about speed, it is also about having the ability to simultaneously connect more and more devices, be it a smartphone, smart vehicle, smart home, or any other tool that can be made digital.

Find out how 5G is supporting the fight against the virus here.

“Double-edged sword” of pandemic slashes smart home spending but brings long-term positive impact

Despite the pandemic’s impact around the world, consumer smart home spending will still grow in 2020. However, spending will be well below pre-pandemic expectations.

A new study from global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research, finds that smart home revenues will reach $85 billion in 2020, just a 4% increase over 2019. Before the pandemic, smart home revenue growth was forecasted to hit 21% over 2019 – a $14.1 billion loss.

Economic uncertainty, consumer spend constraint, restricted physical retail opportunities, installation restrictions, disrupted manufacturing, and distribution have all curbed smart home spending, but the study finds that the spending shortfall is temporary.

“The pandemic is a double-edged sword for the smart home industry,” said Jonathan Collins, Smart Home Research Director at ABI Research. “While the immediate impact may be negative, many of the long-term and structural changes to consumer lives initiated in 2020 will have a lasting positive impact that will help to drive adoption in many areas of the smart home space.”

Canada takes a leaf out the high-speed internet book

The Government of Canada is investing $8.5m in fiber to help residents of rural areas access high-speed internet.

The funding was announced by Pablo Rodriguez, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Quebec Lieutenant, on behalf of Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development. The funding will be made available via the Connect to Innovate program, which aims to invest $585m by 2023 to bring high-speed connections to 975 rural and remote communities.

“The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that every single household and business has access to high-speed internet,” said Rodriguez. “By investing in eight new projects through the Connect to Innovate program, we are continuing to bridge the digital divide so Canadians in Quebec’s rural regions can equally benefit from all the advantages the digital world has to offer.”

Riding the data wave amid the pandemic

Despite a surge in upstream usage fueled by the increased adoption of apps such as videoconferencing, overall data demands dropped in the second quarter of 2020 but still stayed ahead of pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report from OpenVault.

Per the company’s Q2 2020 OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) study, which tabulates and analyzes data from US and European networks, upstream consumption ticked up 5.3% in the period, though overall usage dropped 5.5% compared to Q1 2020 levels. Upstream consumption is now up 56% through the first half of 2020 compared to the year-ago period.