The UK is undergoing a digital transformation, as more people rely on broadband services for work, education and entertainment. The government has set ambitious targets to achieve nationwide gigabit-capable broadband coverage by 2025, and to support the rollout of 5G mobile networks.
Prysmian is leading the way in developing new products for last mile connections, which are essential for delivering high-quality telecommunications to homes and businesses. Unlike the traditional measure of homes passed, which only counts the number of premises within reach of a network, homes connected measures the actual number of customers who can access and use the service. This is more relevant for assessing the impact and benefits of broadband connectivity.
Gigabit-capable broadband means that the network can support download speeds of at least 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), which is equivalent to 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps). This is much faster than the current average broadband speed in the UK, which is around 80 Mbps. Gigabit-capable broadband can enable smoother video streaming, online gaming, cloud computing and other data-intensive applications.
However, there is still a gap between the availability and the adoption of gigabit-capable broadband. Many households have access to a gigabit-capable network, but have not activated their broadband connection or subscribed to a service provider. This is the difference between homes passed and homes connected.
Homes passed are the number of households that have the potential to connect to a gigabit-capable network, but may not have done so for various reasons, such as cost, awareness or inertia. Homes connected are the number of households that are enjoying high-speed internet.
According to the latest figures from Ofcom, the UK regulator, there were 19.2 million homes passed by full-fibre networks at the end of June 2021, but only 3.2 million homes connected. This means that there is a huge opportunity for network providers and alt-nets to increase their market share and revenue by converting homes passed into homes connected.
To do so, they need a partner that can provide them with the best connectivity solutions for every scenario: Prysmian Group, the world leader in telecom connectivity solutions.
Prysmian offers an extensive range of connectivity products specially designed for the last mile, such as CasaLink Block Terminal, Pre-connectorised XMJ Closures, Flexi Box and Customer Termination Point. These products are suitable for use within aerial and underground installations, customer premises and external networks. They enable fast, reliable and secure broadband networks that can deliver gigabit-capable speeds to millions of homes. Our commitment to excellence ensures that our fibre optic solutions contribute to the reliability and efficiency of your network infrastructure.
