Beyond Gigabit: Why UK Infrastructure Investment Needs a Structural Intelligence Framework — Evidence from the Infralytics-GIIS Index Framework, North East England

Policy Brief — Infralytics-GIIS | Nexintell Limited | March 2026 This policy brief introduces the Infralytics-GIIS (Geospatial Infrastructure Intelligence System) framework and presents empirical findings from its pilot application across the 12 local authorities of North East England. Current UK digital infrastructure reporting relies heavily on a single binary statistic: whether premises have access to gigabit-capable broadband. While this metric underpins major national programmes such as Project Gigabit, it does not capture the structural characteristics of infrastructure deployment that determine long-term resilience, equity, and investment efficiency. Using Ofcom Connected Nations regulatory datasets, the Infralytics-GIIS pilot analysed 71,861 Ofcom-matched residential postcodes across the North East of England, constructing a multi-index structural intelligence framework composed of fourteen original indices across six analytical layers: infrastructure, access, resilience, equity, convergence, and market structure. The analysis reveals several structural patterns that cannot be detected using gigabit availability statistics alone: Gigabit availability does not equal fibre deployment.South Tyneside reports 92% gigabit availability but only 33% full fibre deployment, meaning 43,140 premises receive gigabit through non-FTTP infrastructure. Authority-level averages systematically conceal postcode-level gaps.In Darlington, the authority average of 79% full fibre masks postcode-level coverage as low as 54.9%, creating a 38.8 percentage point intra-authority gap that subsidy targeting based on averages would miss. Technology composition affects digital equity analysis.Where gigabit access is delivered through mixed infrastructure (e.g., cable, fixed wireless, or fibre), equity indicators may measure fundamentally different infrastructure types across authorities. Copper legacy correlates strongly with mobile coverage weakness.The GIIS Copper Exposure Index shows a strong negative correlation with mobile coverage quality (r = −0.907 for 4G indoor multi-operator coverage), suggesting fixed-line infrastructure legacy may suppress mobile investment simultaneously. These findings indicate that reliance on binary gigabit statistics may lead to systematic misallocation of infrastructure investment, particularly under subsidy programmes such as Project Gigabit. The Infralytics-GIIS framework provides a structural intelligence methodology capable of identifying hidden infrastructure gaps before investment decisions are made. A national rollout across all 296 English local authorities would create the first consistent structural evidence base for infrastructure governance, investment targeting, and digital equity analysis. The framework integrates publicly available regulatory datasets and is fully reproducible. The live platform implementing the framework is available at: https://www.infralytics.co