A new project from HS2 could support thousands of homes and businesses into accessing faster broadband connection.
Thanks to the plan, which will see spare data capacity sold to broadband providers, rural communities near to the railway in areas such as Buckinghamshire, West Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire could see their broadband boosted. These rural areas typically suffer from slower data speed and mobile coverage than the rest of the UK, owing to the high cost of installing the connections that would be needed for increased broadband speed when compared to the small number of potential customers.
HS2’s project would enable mobile and broadband providers to buy access to the spare capacity in the cabling and telecoms masts that are being put in place to support the railway. With the majority of the cost for cabling being in installation, this would ensure that areas with smaller populations can get direct access to fibre connections at a reduced price.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy commented:
“Investment in our transport infrastructure can boost opportunities and drive economic growth in every part of our country.
“This scheme will have a positive impact on local areas for generations to come, providing connectivity that will create new opportunities for people and businesses to thrive.”
This scheme comes alongside analysis of Ofcom data, which found that more than 538 postcodes within 5km of the HS2 route don’t have access to broadband speeds of more than 100Mbit/s – which is considered ‘Ultrafast’. Included in this figure is 209 postcodes that cannot access ‘decent’ broadband speeds, which is thought to be at least 10Mbit/s.
Despite the railway not anticipated to open until between 2029 and 2033, HS2 has stated that telecoms companies could be given access to masts and cabling two years before the opening of the line, with this coming during testing and commissioning phase.
Construction of the railway is already well underway, with the next step of construction seeing approximately 80 telecoms masts being built next to the line to provide signalling for the trains. Using these masts to also provide improved local mobile coverage will benefit 15 postcodes along the route that can’t receive a reliable 5g signal.
As well as the masts, around 2,000 kilometres of fibreoptic cabling will run next to the line.
Head of Telecoms Engineering at HS2, Tim Ward, said:
“HS2 provide fast, efficient and reliable rail journeys between Britain’s two largest cities while freeing up space on the existing mainline for more local trains. But we’re also determined to ensure that we get the most value out of our new infrastructure and support the local community wherever possible.
“That’s why we’re keen to work with mobile and broadband providers to help unlock better 5G connectivity and faster broadband for communities in more isolated areas along the railway.”
Whilst rural communities near to the railway look set to benefit from boosted coverage thanks to HS2, those travelling on the railway will benefit from seamless mobile connectivity on their journey as the data can be fed to the train itself before linking to passenger’s phones. This will prevent the reduced bandwidth and drop-outs that are often suffered on typical journeys.
Image credit: HS2 Ltd
