How can we take superfast broadband ‘from pipe dream to reality’? Three leading experts shared their answers at yesterday’s Broadband Britain seminar, hosted by POST.
Currently 65% of UK households have access to superfast broadband, made possible by fibre-optic technology. The government’s ambition for 2015 is that broadband coverage will be universal, with 90% of UK homes able to access superfast speeds. MPs, parliamentary staff, academics and industry representatives heard from three broadband technology and policy experts at the seminar, chaired by Therese Coffey MP.
Pamela Learmonth, CEO of the Broadband Stakeholder Group, offered a positive antidote to the “doom and gloom” around superfast technologies, pointing out continued and increasing investment by the private sector in fibre-optics and the 69% increase in average UK broadband speed since last year. She also emphasised that take-up of broadband services can be more important than speed, with the UK leading the way in first-generation broadband coverage.
Like Pamela, Matt Yardley, partner at Analysys Mason, wondered whether speed was as important to all consumers as effective use and exploitation of broadband services. He was optimistic about the future of fibre-optic technology, but cautioned that the government must look beyond the 2015 target. A long-term strategic plan will be needed to manage the costs and complexities of rolling out future infrastructure.
Raj Sivalingam, associate director at Intellect, discussed radio spectrum - another area in need of careful management. All wireless applications need a dedicated frequency, and the explosion in wireless technologies means that spectrum is an increasingly valuable resource. In 2011 the total economic value of spectrum in the UK was £52 billion, up from £35.2 billion in 2006. Raj outlined the need for the UK to engage in international negotiations on spectrum in a way that supports UK skills, expertise and resources, and supported the creation of a dedicated Spectrum Forum.
The question and answer session following the talks extended the discussion to broadband coverage and digital exclusion and considered what UK-wide programmes can learn from projects in the devolved nations. MPs and their researchers raised a variety of issues around broadband services in their constituencies, highlighting the wide-ranging importance and applications of superfast broadband.