UK government pledges £740mn to 5G broadband
In the Autumn Statement, Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged £400m for funding faster broadband as part of a new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund. Private investors will also be asked to match this amount. Hammond is also set to announce £740m for the development of 5G and the future rollout of fibre connections. There is no launch date for the 5G service yet. The new fund is part of the government’s plans to increase the amount of people who have access to a “full fibre” connection—a figure that currently stands at 2%.
The UK government wants to increase the amount of people that have access to a "full-fibre" connection muratkoc/iStock

The UK government is set to pledge a commitment to funding faster broadband across the country as part of a new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund.

In Wednesday’s Autumn Statement, Chancellor Philip Hammond will announce £400 million funding for the new initiative, aimed at fibre broadband providers who are looking to expand. Private investors will also be asked to match the amount.

Read more: What is 5G and when will it come to the UK? 5G networks explained

Mr Hammond is also set to announce £740m for the development of 5G and the future rollout of fibre connections. There is no launch date for the 5G service yet.

The new fund is part of the UK government’s plans to increase the amount of people who have access to a “full-fibre” connection. Full-fibre provisions are offered by some independent broadband providers such as Gigaclear and Hyperoptic, which received a £21m investment from the European Investment Bank earlier this year to bring high-speed broadband to more homes in the UK.

However, currently only 2 per cent of the UK population has access to this superfast internet, which offers download speeds of up to one gigabit per second.

Digital minister Matt Hancock has spoken about the UK government’s commitment to ensuring the full-fibre rollout to the rest of the UK. Speaking at the Parliament and Internet Conference 2016 in October, Hancock said: “We need the right infrastructure. That means ubiquitous coverage, so no-one is left out, and with sufficient capacity not only for today’s needs but in readiness for future change and demand,” before adding “we are determined to see a full fibre future in Britain.”

BT, which is the UK's top broadband provider with 32 per cent of the market share, has been criticised by MPs for failing to invest properly in broadband infrastructure. Ofcom criticised the company for not investing enough in high-quality cables that are necessary to bring the full-fibre broadband service to UK citizens.

The company’s chairman Sir Mike Rake has said the firm developed an interim technology to get full-fibre broadband to property. Until this is rolled out, however, BT will "substantially" enhance speeds for the rest of the country, he told BBC's Today Programme.

BT plans to invest £6 billion in the new infrastructure. As part of the plans, 12 million homes should have broadband speeds in excess of 300Mbps by 2020.