BT and KCOM confirmed as broadband USO providers

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Ofcom has confirmed that BT and KCOM will deliver the Universal Service Obligation (USO), allowing anyone in the UK to demand to request a minimum standard of broadband connection.

The regulator proposed the two companies would be responsible for delivering the USO back in December, with KCOM responsible for the Hull area and BT the rest of the UK.

Commercial and government-funded rollouts of superfast broadband mean that 95 per cent of the UK population now has access to fibre services, however Ofcom believes more than 600,000 homes and businesses are not covered.

This figure will come down over time as more people are added through fibre broadband rollouts.

Broadband USO

The USO will initially define a minimum standard as a 10Mbps service, although it’s possible that this could be increased in the future. BT and KCOM have until 20 March 2020 to ensure their systems and processes are in place to receive requests.

Once a request is received, the providers have 30 days to see if an applicant is eligible, after which they must make the connection as soon as possible. The government will cover the costs up to a limit of £3,400, after which the applicant must pay the remainder or seek an alternative technology, such as satellite.

It will also be possible for neighbours to club together to make joint applications in order to bring the cost down.

“As more of our daily lives move online, bringing better broadband to people and businesses is crucial,” said Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom Consumer Group Director. “From next year, this new broadband safety net will give everyone a legal right to request a decent connection – whether you live in a city or a hamlet. This will be vital for people who are struggling to get the broadband they need.”

BT believes it can connect three quarters of those eligible using EE’s 4G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) service, with speeds of up to 30Mbps, and believes another 40,000 can be connected under the £3,400 threshold. It says it will work to find ways to find funding to connect the remainder.

“It’s great news that the majority of homes and businesses in rural areas can choose a fixed wireless service from EE to solve the problem of slow broadband and get speeds way faster than 10Mbps,” declared Philip Jansen, BT CEO.

“Through Openreach we are now extending our fibre broadband network to reach an additional 40,000 premises within the USO area for whom FWA is not the answer. We’ll continue to drive discussions with Ofcom, Government and industry to explore alternative options to connect up every property in the country and ensure no-one is left behind.”

Steve McCaskill is TechRadar Pro's resident mobile industry expert, covering all aspects of the UK and global news, from operators to service providers and everything in between. He is a former editor of Silicon UK and journalist with over a decade's experience in the technology industry, writing about technology, in particular, telecoms, mobile and sports tech, sports, video games and media. 

Latest in Pro
Epson EcoTank ET-4850 next to a TechRadar badge that reads Big Savings
I found the best printer deal you won't see in the Amazon Spring Sale and it's got a massive $150 saving
NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition
Nvidia's most expensive Blackwell card gets massive price cut but it is not the RTX 5090
Microsoft Copiot Studio deep reasoning and agent flows
Microsoft reveals OpenAI-powered Copilot AI agents to bosot your work research and data analysis
Group of people meeting
Inflexible work policies are pushing tech workers to quit
Data leak
Top home hardware firm data leak could see millions of customers affected
Representational image depecting cybersecurity protection
Third-party security issues could be the biggest threat facing your business
Latest in News
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Rennovations
Disney’s giving a classic Buzz Lightyear ride a tech overhaul – here's everything you need to know
Hisense U8 series TV on wall in living room
Hisense announces 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, with screen sizes up to 100 inches – and a surprising smart TV switch
Nintendo Music teaser art
Nintendo Music expands its library with songs from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Tetris
Opera AI Tabs
Opera's new AI feature brings order to your browser tab chaos
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead