Broadband deployment must go 'all the way'

A fibre optic network would need to service the whole country if the UK wants "to have an infrastructure that matches the needs of the future," according to an expert.

Edd Dawson, managing director of broadband.co.uk, claims that if fibre deployment only happens at the cabinet level then many people in rural areas will not see the top speeds.

He adds that any network is only "as fast as its slowest part", meaning that any deployment should join up the whole country, rather than creating a "piece meal network where some people get great service and other areas get nothing".

"It's an infrastructure investment and it can't be ignored."

A recent report by the Broadband Stakeholders Group found that in high density areas, costs will be relatively constant, meaning that "if a commercial case for deployment exists, the market should be able to deliver to approximately two thirds of the UK population".

However, for the remaining third in sparsely populated areas, the cost of deployment will be much higher.