The internet is massively popular in the UK and most people have access to it, but figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest that 27% of people don’t have access to the internet at home. They also say that only 40% of people over the age of 65 have used it, compared to 99% of 16-24 year olds. Plus, compared to other countries, there are concerns that the speed of the UK’s broadband is relatively slow. We look at where it might go next.

One of the obvious things that will happen to the UK’s broadband in the future is an increase in its speed. The current average speed is 6.4Mbps; more than double what it was in 2008 and above the global average of 5.9Mbps. Providers such as BT and Virgin Media are currently engaged in a massive roll-out of fiber optic broadband, the effect of which will be to provide coverage to more homes and increase broadband speeds by 50—60% within a year of the system going live.

The UK also has commitments to European Union law in terms of improving its broadband coverage for the future. By 2013, it has to provide basic broadband coverage to all citizens, reversing the current trend where people in rural areas have much less access to the internet than people living in towns and cities. It is also committed to providing 30Mbps broadband by 2020, although it is currently a couple of years behind on its work to meet these commitments.

ADSL2+ is another project currently underway that is having a much more immediate impact on the speeds of the UK’s broadband. It’s part of a BT-integrated project called the 21st century network, and it can offer speeds of 24Mbps. These speeds are, however, not universally available as they are dependent on the distance people are from the exchange and can be affected by electromagnetic disturbance. It’s a variant of the existing DSL and every exchange is due to be enabled with ADSL2+ by 2011.

Over the coming years as coverage and connection speeds improve, the UK is, overall, expected to become much more reliant on broadband. Already, an increasing number of personal financial transactions are carried out online and businesses are heavy users of the internet, something that seems set to continue. This is especially true as the government is considering making some services online-only, a massive step for the internet. Increasing mobile broadband coverage also makes it easier to connect and, as internet use increases, the system upgrades will be even more crucial.

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