Policy GESP32: Gigabit Ready Developments
To ensure that residents and businesses in new buildings have access to a choice of fixed and mobile internet services with a potential for reliable and resilient gigabit per second speeds, new developments will:
- Incorporate digital infrastructure as one of the essential utilities, with routing and phasing planned comprehensively alongside the other utilities in a Utility Network Plan
- Provide a network of open access ducting (open to all fibre providers) suitable for and including full-fibre connections to each building. Ducting must have capacity to accommodate and enable multi-operator fibre to the premises to encourage competition and choice for consumers
- Demonstrate that suitable arrangements have been made for the ownership, management and maintenance of the open access ducting, for instance through transfer to a “Dig Once” mutual or trust
- Make financial contributions towards improving off-site digital infrastructure, where necessary and viable.
Sites of at least 500 dwellings or 5ha of employment should ensure resilience by seeking to provide at least two physically separate external connections points.
8.47 High quality digital connectivity underpins the draft GESP vision as one of the essential utilities. Access to high speed, reliable fixed and mobile connectivity for businesses and residents will support steady changes to the area’s economy and is therefore a key plank of the draft GESP vision. Domestic broadband use continues to grow and home working and remote service access is increasingly necessary as As network reach and capacity increases, there will be travel reduction benefits that support the proposed GESP transport strategy and the potential for further travel-related innovations.
8.48 Planning has a role to play in ensuring new developments are future-proofed and avoid unreasonable barriers to the delivery of infrastructure needed to achieve improved connectivity across the This is supported by the National Planning Policy Framework and wider government preference for a competitive market using “fibre to the premises” capable of 1 gigabit per second speeds. Allied to this is the GESP’s aim to promote and accelerate investment in such networks by multiple providers so as to stimulate competition. On this basis draft policy GESP32 is underpinned by twin digital infrastructure objectives to:
- Reduce barriers (practical and financial) to the installation of, and access to, the most advanced digital connectivity technologies that are reasonably possible for providers and users (at present, gigabit-capable services); and
- Support consumer choice and effective market competition by requiring ducting sufficient to allow more than one provider to service a
8.49 The initial requirement is that digital infrastructure is planned out from the start and coordinated with other necessary utilities (such as water, sewerage, electricity and district heating networks). We suggest this can be achieved by the submission of a comprehensive Utility Network Plan for the site. The necessary ducting and fibre can then be laid alongside other utilities using a “dig once” approach to service the This will reduce costs and disruption during construction and in the future.
8.50 Ensuring that all new buildings and developments (in use classes A, B, C and D) have suitable duct and riser space designed-in and built-in from the start will remove unnecessary cost and delay to the telecoms industry, thereby stimulating market competition and enabling gigabit- capable Draft policy GESP32 requires that open access ducting open to all fibre providers with capacity for multiple providers to lay sub-ducting and/or fibre is provided in all new buildings. As knowledge improves and technology matures and develops, digital infrastructure requirements will need to be updated too.
8.51 The ducting will need to be open to additional fibre provision without barriers and in perpetuity, to encourage a more competitive, open digital market. This will be secured through planning obligations or legal Ongoing ownership, management and maintenance of this ducting will need to be considered and demonstrated by the applicants. Draft policy GESP32 proposes that the Greater Exeter councils can work in partnership with public and private stakeholders to set up a “dig once trust”. Once in place, this trust will be willing to take such assets on.
8.52 In some cases, it may be necessary for off-site digital infrastructure to be improved or upgraded to enable gigabit-capable Where this is necessary, we propose that fairly related in scale and kind, and as viability allows, developments should make financial contributions towards these works. This may include contributions towards delivery of the digital spine proposed in draft policy GESP33.
8.53 Strategic-scale developments require additional levels of resilience in terms of their digital For this reason, we propose that developments of at least 500 homes or 5ha employment (gross site area) should ensure that they are served by at least two physically separate connection points arising from two separate points of presence.