Better broadband: from rhetoric to reality

On the campaign trail the now Prime Minister made a bold pledge to deliver full-fibre digital connections to every home in the land. As the new Government gets down to work, there is no time to waste in turning the rhetoric into reality.

The UK led the way in the first industrial revolution and should do the same again in the fourth. The first was driven by easy access to the energy needed to power steam engines; this industrial revolution will be underpinned by the lightning fast connections that will transform the potential of every single home and business.

And just as the first industrial revolution powered every village, town and city in the country, the fourth must power every person. We should not be a nation where your postcode determines whether you can work from home, or your business can sell online. We should be the nation where good connectivity is a reality for every person, and every new business is born digital, in all corners of the UK.

For employers, the opportunities from fast broadband speeds are vast. Without an internet connection your phone or your computer isn’t much more than an expensive lump of metal. With a good connection its capabilities are mind boggling. Better digital connections unlock the potential of advanced analytics, blockchain and the industrial internet of things. But this isn’t about your kettle talking to your fridge. This is a game-changing combination of technologies.

Supermarkets can use a combination of sensors, blockchain technology and analytics to link food right back to the farm it came from in a matter of seconds. Aircraft manufacturers can now tap into vast networks of data across their supply chains to assess risk and anticipate maintenance requirements. Infrastructure providers can predict peaks and troughs in demand to ensure that people have the services they need, when they need them, and not when they don’t. It’s good for security, safety and sustainability.

But that’s not all. Just as the potential technology we use in our homes and businesses is developing quickly, so too is the connectivity that underpins it. If 4G is a torch, 5G is a laser beam providing more targeted and powerful opportunities. It has the potential to deliver not twice, not ten times, but one hundred times faster connections. Turning on the 5G tap could unleash a surge of innovations from driverless cars to automated farms. The UK should be among the front-runners in this race.

Business and the government must deliver on the vision for future technology together. The PM has signalled his ambition on digital infrastructure. Businesses must do the heavy-lifting on investment, shaping the technology and bring vital delivery know-how to the party.

And the revolution is happening already. Virgin Media and Vodafone are committing to deliver gigabit speeds to millions of homes by 2021. A growing band of Alt Nets delivering fibre in harder to reach rural areas. Openreach are accelerating their plans too, recruiting an extra 3,000 trainee engineers to help with the build.

But there is plenty more to get on with.

First, fast-track legislation to mandate gigabit connectivity in all new build homes and better access to private land.

Next, help all parts of the government to pull in the same direction and strain every sinew to accelerate progress. Ensure new transport infrastructure has world-class digital connectivity baked in and support industry’s Shared Rural Network proposals. Set out funding mechanisms and a delivery programme for the ‘outside in’ programme and review removing digital infrastructure investments from business rates in the next Budget.

And finally, let’s make sure we have the skills needed to get the job done. Make the apprenticeship levy work to support new skills coming into the industry and ensure our new immigration system is open to the best engineering talent from overseas.

With business and government working together in lockstep the UK will remain at the forefront of the digital revolution.

Originally published in City AM