This blog complements that of last week, summarising the main points from the launch of two documents on Monday afternoon in the House of Lords at an event hosted by the Digital Policy Alliance, together with the European Internet Foundation (EIF) and the Digital Business First (DBF). After briefly covering the content of the two documents, this blog reviews the ensuing discussion and its consequences.
Introducing the Documents…
The first document – Digital Trends 2030: what place for Europe? – has been fully covered in last week’s blog. But in setting the scene for the debate last Monday, it provided a vital role in illustrating how fast the convergence and uptake of technologies is occurring, such that the world in 2030 (even by 2020) will be unrecognisable with that of today. In sum, the world is moving from the concept of “mass collaboration” and towards a “Knowing Society”. Click here for more.
The second document was aiming at targets much closer to home, entitled. “The UK’s enduring deficit: A divided nation – time for an effective plan”. It was introduced by one of the co-chairmen of Digital Business First, Alex Pratt, also Chairman of the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), who drew attention to the fact that the digital issue was high on the agendas of all 39 LEPs across the country. Simply put, there was a desperate need to raise the level of debate as the Government is in denial over the digital issue, trying to paint a rosy picture where none exists. Digital technology represents a massive opportunity for this country. To capture it, the Government must raise its level of ambition and deliver a national digital strategy that would properly equip the nation for the future.
Without going into great detail in this blog, the document is a must-read if anyone wants to know what the current picture is of the UK’s digital infrastructure. What it reveals is that, even after a massive investment of £1billion in broadband across the UK, there are still around 10 million premises (homes and businesses) who do not have Superfast broadband (EU standard of 30 Mbps). Some parts of the Home Counties, at 2Mbps, have slower speeds than citizens in Peru or households in rural Utah in the US!
Moreover, it gets worse. The document provides considerable detail on how there has been a massive global shift towards improved digital infrastructure in places such as Sweden and South Korea, aiming to provide broadband speeds in the latter country at 1000Mbps by 2017. It is increasingly clear that our “Superfast” is becoming “Superslow” in global terms. South Korea has also announced ambitions to roll-out the 5G mobile network, to be tested on social-networking sites in 2015 and expected to become fully commercial by 2020. So much for the UK winning the global race!
Recommendations of the DBF document:
What does the document recommend? The following four items are key:
• Adopt new broadband targets for the UK that go way beyond the current 2-24 Mbps targets for the state-funded network. Analysis suggests that the 10 million have-nots should have a realistic prospect of 100 Mbps during 2017;
• Assess UK mobile wireless “black holes” and wider mobile broadband needs, considering 4G licence amendments for coverage and strength of signal to ensure that the UK has adequate mobile broadband connectivity;
• Consider how commercial enterprise can be incentivised to help bridge the UK broadband deficit. Reflect that Sweden has very high broadband coverage but did not get into trouble with state aids as private investment from all sectors was encouraged to contribute;
• Above all, DEFINE A NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN for 2015 onwards. Stakeholders, notably Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) could then specify their needs. Click here for a full report. Click here for the easy-to-read abridged version.
Ensuing discussion…
In the discussion which ensued, the commentators speaking from the platform supported the thrust of the document. There was a strong economic case for having high speed broadband and mobile accessibility across the country. The digital infrastructure should fit in to other infrastructure projects for road, rail and air transport. Government should deliver a meaningful digital strategy which addressed the ‘where’ as well as the ‘how’ (not the case at the moment). It was essential to have the right strategy in place to capture the opportunity represented by the digital revolution, for example a national broadband strategy capable of attracting private investment.
These views were agreed by most in the audience who recognised there was a significant problem to be addressed, where the concerns of ordinary citizens were not being answered. A BT representative indicated that everything was being rolled out according to plan, or in advance of objectives set: so BT was delivering on its contract. (The response from the audience was that the contract itself was wrong). A senior representative of the DCMS said that it was important to get the right structure to which people agreed. But there was shock among many when he said that lack of broadband for SME’s in the regions was not a matter of concern, adding that satellite provision could be a satisfactory solution for many small businesses.
What next?
This meeting was the first time that the business community through Digital Business First and its’ thought-provoking document had had the opportunity to express its concerns about the real lack of effective mobile and broadband provision across the country. Steps now must be taken to build up business and political support for the central objective of a national strategic plan to improve digital infrastructure. What the discussion at this meeting showed is that while BT may be meeting its contract obligations, the game has altered with much higher speeds becoming normal targets. Furthermore, it revealed that there is a lack of understanding of what must be done in the world of digital technology, including what type of applications and what type of coverage is needed. Overall, there is a serious lack of vision in Government circles about what must be done to safeguard Britain’s future competitiveness and economic survival. The sooner an effective strategic National Broadband plan is formulated, the better.
