Scottish Government

Improve digital infrastructure

DESCRIPTION:

This indicator measures the proportion of residential and non-residential premises where next generation broadband is available.

SOURCE:

Figures for this indicator are provided by Ofcom. Ofcom reports on the proportion of residential and non-residential premises where cable, FTTC^[1] and FTTP^[2] (collectively known as next-generation access) is available. The roll-out of NGA technologies has increased the availability of superfast broadband (SFBB), which is defined as having download speeds of at least 30Mbit/s. Most, but not all, NGA lines provide superfast broadband.

It should be noted that the 2011-2015 figures are not directly comparable as Ofcom has refined the measurement methodology in successive reports, however there has been no substantive methodological change to fixed broadband coverage from 2014 to 2015.

• Connections available from infrastructure providers other than BT Openreach and Virgin Media are not included in the data for 2011 and 2012, while KCom is included in addition in 2013 and 2014. Other suppliers are small and do not have significant presence in Scotland and as such, this in unlikely to have an impact on the headline figure.
• In 2011, coverage was reported by considering the number of premises served by Virgin Media's cable network or a FTTC enabled BT telephone exchange.
• Since 2012, the data is collected at postcode level and the coverage estimate represents the total number of premises in postcodes in which one or more premises can receive superfast broadband services from the infrastructure providers  The proportion of premises that have the option of subscribing to a superfast broadband service may be overestimated slightly.
• In 2014, there are two significant differences in Ofcom’s methodology for data collection and analysis.

1. Under the previous methodology, Ofcom identified the presence of an NGA network in a postcode and modelled that postcode as being fully covered. In 2014, they collected more detailed information about the percentage of premises in each postcode with NGA access, allowing for more accurate NGA coverage estimates to be made.
2. This year, Ofcom make a clear distinction between NGA coverage and coverage of superfast broadband services. This is because some premises have been upgraded to FTTC (and are therefore within the NGA coverage footprint) but cannot receive superfast speeds. This is typically due to the distance between the cabinet and the premises.

DEFINITIONS:

In Ofcom’s 2014 Infrastructure report, a distinction was made between NGA coverage and superfast broadband services, which the Connected Nations Report continues to use:

Cable, FTTC and FTTP are collectively known as next-generation access networks, while superfast broadband is defined as delivering headline download speeds of greater than 30 Mbit/s.

BASELINE AND PAST TRENDS:

The baseline year is 2011 as this is the first year for which this data was gathered.

Next generation broadband availability:

CRITERIA FOR RECENT CHANGE ARROW:

This evaluation is based on: any difference within +/- 1 percentage point of last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change. An increase of 1 percentage point or more suggests the position is improving; whereas a decrease of 1 percentage point or more suggests the position is worsening.

For information on general methodological approach, please click here.

FUTURE ISSUES OR REVIEWS:

The data from Ofcom used for this indicator covers only fixed-line broadband. Next-generation mobile broadband will continue to be rolled out in the coming years, and is likely to extend beyond the footprint of the fixed-line next generation network in some regions. Therefore, the measure used for the indicator may understate the full extent of next-generation infrastructure in future years.

ASSOCIATED TARGET:

Step Change will address the current digital divide by extending the infrastructure needed to deliver next generation broadband to those areas where the market will currently not go.  We are investing in broadband infrastructure that will address the current digital divide and put in place infrastructure that will have the capacity to deliver next generation broadband to 95% of premises by 2017, and a significant uplift in speeds for the remaining areas.

Scotland's Digital Future—Infrastructure Action Plan (2012) is the core document setting out the Scottish Government’s plans and ambition for digital infrastructure.