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A significant proportion of newly-built homes in the UK are still missing out on the latest connectivity technology, despite pledges to improve the availability of full fibre broadband to these locations.
This is according to a study by Broadband Genie, which examined the type of connectivity options available to over 3,000 new-build properties completed between July 2019 and April 2020.
It found that while 57 per cent were able to receive full fibre-to-the-premises services, almost one in five properties (19 per cent) where only a single connectivity option was available were restricted solely to ADSL broadband.
The website did note that the government is planning to enact new regulations from next year that will mandate the use of high-quality connectivity in new builds. However, while it said this is a "positive change", it will come too late for many thousands of new-build homeowners and businesses that could have benefited had these measures already been implemented.
Liam McAvoy, senior director of business development at full fibre broadband provider Hyperoptic, said it is "unacceptable" that so many homes are still reliant on outdated ADSL technology.
Broadband Genie stated that while ADSL may be suitable for an individual or small household with limited browsing habits, it is far too restrictive by modern standards, and will be quickly overwhelmed by demanding activities such as gaming or video streaming.
Demand for these data-hungry activities is only set to increase, especially with the expected permanent shift to home-working post-coronavirus, the website observed.
Mr McAvoy added: "It makes no sense to build a property and only provide the building with access to yesterday’s technology that isn’t future-proofed and can’t scale with bandwidth demands.
"Full fibre connectivity should now be an essential component of the build process. It's time that the industry gets up to speed on having full fibre installed in a new build, from day one."
