INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesLabour has promised to give every home and business in the UK free full-fibre broadband by 2030 if it wins the
general election.The plan would see millions more properties given access to a full-fibre connection, though Prime Minister Boris Johnson
said it was "a crackpot scheme".If the plan went ahead and was completed on time, would it still be useful in 2030? What is full-fibre
broadband?There are three main types of broadband connection that link the local telephone exchange to your home or office:ADSL (asymmetric
digital subscriber line) uses copper cables to a street-level cabinet or junction box and on to the houseFTTC (fibre to the cabinet) uses a
faster fibre optic cable to the cabinet, but then copper cable from there to the houseFTTP (fibre to the premises) uses a fibre optic cable
to connect to households without using any copper cableThe old landline telephone infrastructure across the UK used copper cables, but
accessing the internet over copper cables is slower than over fibre optic cables.Fibre optic cables are made from glass or plastic and use
pulses of light to transmit data, offering much faster internet access.Full-fibre broadband refers to an FTTP connection: the entire line
from the telephone exchange to your home uses fibre optic cables.How fast is full-fibre?Currently, the UK government defines superfast
broadband as having speeds greater than 30 megabits per second (Mbps)
Megabits per second is the standard measurement of internet speed.Ultrafast is defined as a speed greater than 100Mbps
A connection using both fibre and copper (FTTC) can reach speeds of about 66Mbps.But a full-fibre connection (FTTP) - with no copper - can
offer much faster average speeds of one gigabit per second (Gbps) - that's 1,000Mbps.Full-fibre can also deliver very low latency: that
means less delay between sending a request and getting a response
That is not just important for video gamers
Low latency connections promise new opportunities for remote work, especially in fast-paced industries that cannot afford delays.There are
other types of very fast connection as well
Virgin Media uses a different type of cable for the last section that comes into your house, which in theory can offer speeds of up to
10Gbps.There is also a service called G.fast, which uses a special pod to boost the speed of the standard copper cable connection.Will
full-fibre be obsolete in 2030?Predicting what the future holds for technology is obviously difficult.But full-fibre broadband, where
ultra-fast optical cables carry data right into your home or office, is currently the "gold standard"."There is no doubt that we need fibre
connectivity, in particular all the way to the home
That's something everybody is on board with across the industry and political parties," said Matthew Howett, an analyst at Assembly
Research.While full-fibre connections can currently promise speeds of one gigabit per second, future upgrades could potentially offer speeds
(One terabit equals 1,000 gigabits.) That could be made possible by replacing the equipment at either end of the cables - in the telephone
exchange and at home - without laying new cables.If, come 2030, there is a new emerging technology and countries are thinking about
replacing their full-fibre systems, the UK would start on the same footing.Why invest in fibre rather than 5G?Wireless connections can be a
useful way to connect remote homes to the internet, but 5G may not be the answer for sparsely populated areas.5G networks can operate on
several different frequencies, but the higher frequencies do not penetrate buildings and trees as well as the lower frequencies.Using those
high frequencies requires many more transmitters, closer to the homes and offices that need internet access.And those so-called nano-masts
are typically connected to the internet backbone by fibre."Investing in fibre improves both fixed line services and helps to support
connecting the many new nano-masts needed for 5G at its highest speeds," said Andrew Ferguson from the news site Thinkbroadband.com.Image
copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
High-frequency 5G will require more transmitters
However, the
government plans to auction lower-frequency spectrum - freed up from the digital TV switchover - for 5G services."The 700MHz frequency band
that will be auctioned is good at covering large rural areas," said Mr Howett."Anything freed up from that switchover from analogue to
digital TV means you can reach more people with fewer base stations."However, even if the UK focused on national 5G coverage, guaranteeing a
stable connection to every home would be difficult.Atmospheric conditions can lead to variation in latency with wireless connections."The
problem with the final leg still being wireless is easily illustrated by the problems people have with existing wi-fi," said Mr
Ferguson."People often find they cannot cover their whole home without additional wireless repeaters."And in the worst case scenario, a
double decker bus could park between you and the lamp post across the street."Full-fibre into the building technically gives a much better
experience and avoids the variables that 5G cannot always overcome."
