Government promises all new homes to come with Gigabit broadband
New legislation will bring housing developers and network operators together before any brick is laid
The UK government is introducing new legislation that requires all newly built homes to come with Gigabit-speed broadband by design.
It means developers will be legally required to install digital infrastructure as part of the planning process and also calls on broadband companies to be involved before any bricks are laid.
One in five newly built homes is still being erected without Gigabit-speed connections, according to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), with most of these in areas where network operators haven't had time to build in the required standards of connection.
To set this in motion, the government will amend the current building regulations to guarantee that housing developers and network operators install internet speeds of over 1,000Mbps. This will be up to a cost cap of £2,000 per home.
The government estimates that 98.1% of the time gigabit broadband will be installed at no extra cost to developers. Though they will have to contribute more than £1,800 for 1.0% of these new builds.
The assumed operator contribution of between £500-£1,400 means the policy ensures, Gigabit-capable connections will be deployed in 99% of all total new build premises, the government said.
"This legislation means every new home will be built fit for the future and give people access to world-class broadband speeds from the moment they move in," said Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden. "It's all part of our plan to deliver on our commitment to give everyone in the UK access to gigabit broadband, as we connect and level up the country."
Get the ITPro. daily newsletter
Receive our latest news, industry updates, featured resources and more. Sign up today to receive our FREE report on AI cyber crime & security - newly updated for 2024.
The government has already looked to bring the broadband companies onside, with Virgin Media contributing at £500 to £1,000 per site (depending on its size). Openreach has also committed to a combined contribution with developers of £3,400. DCMS said it expects to reach agreements with other operators in the coming weeks.
To help it through parliament, the policy will be laid as secondary legislation, which means it can be introduced quicker, according to DCMS. This will apply to all new residential homes, including conversions and self-built, but it does exclude renovated buildings, schools, hotels and prisons.
Bobby Hellard is ITPro's Reviews Editor and has worked on CloudPro and ChannelPro since 2018. In his time at ITPro, Bobby has covered stories for all the major technology companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook, and regularly attends industry-leading events such as AWS Re:Invent and Google Cloud Next.
Bobby mainly covers hardware reviews, but you will also recognize him as the face of many of our video reviews of laptops and smartphones.
"Our goal is to transform partner success": Cisco just announced a major overhaul of its partner program – here’s what you need to know
Dropbox layoffs continue as firm cuts another 20% of staff
Forget the metaverse, AI is the money-spinner at Meta — Reality Labs lost $4.4 billion this quarter, but Mark Zuckerberg’s razor sharp AI focus is delivering results