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<p>According to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report, more than 98% of premises
in urban areas can access superfast broadband. The Government’s Superfast programme
has been instrumental in reaching this level of coverage, with £1.8 billion invested
to date. The programme is still ongoing, and future delivery will further increase
superfast coverage.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For consumers unable to access
download speeds of at least 10 megabits per second, including those on exchange only
lines, the Government has legislated to introduce the broadband Universal Service
Obligation, which provides households with a legal right to request this minimum speed
up to a reasonable cost threshold of £3,400 per premise.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In
addition, the Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit-capable broadband
as soon as possible and has already invested in stimulating demand for gigabit broadband,
including in urban areas. The £200 million Local Full Fibre Networks programme has
funded projects in urban areas such as Belfast and London, for example.</p><p><strong>
</strong></p><p>The Government has also announced that it will invest a further £5
billion to provide gigabit-capable networks in the hardest to parts of the UK. This
funding will focus on connecting more rural and remote areas but, alongside this,
the Government is also taking action to reduce the barriers to deployment, and make
it cheaper and easier for BT Openreach and other operators to roll out broadband commercially,
including in urban and suburban areas. For example, we are taking the Telecommunications
Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill through Parliament, which will make it easier
for network builders to access blocks of flats where there is an absent or unresponsive
landlord.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Finally, mobile network operators already
provide 4G mobile broadband services which provide a viable alternative to superfast
coverage in urban areas. In addition, according to Ofcom’s December 2019 Connected
Nations report, more than 40 towns and cities already have access to even faster 5G
mobile services, and the rollout has developed further since then.</p><p> </p><p>As
part of this, the Government has allocated £200 million from 2017 to March 2022 to
support the further development of 5G through its 5G Testbeds & Trials Programme,
including up to £20 million in the West Midlands 5G (WM5G) Programme (over three years,
to March 2022).</p><p> </p>
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