Main News Desk

Digital Britain - What does it mean?

Responses from AboveNet and Parity on the impact of the Digital Britain report

June 18, 2009

AboveNet, providers of high bandwidth fibre optic connectivity

John Donaldson, MD, AboveNet, commented:

Focus on fibre to business, not homes

“The Carter report is a step forward for a better connected Digital Britain but the focus for fibre connectivity really should start with the business community. There is still a long way to go in terms of providing adequate connectivity to businesses before we can even imagine delivery to the home.

Connection speeds do not just affect home broadband, but also cause problems for UK businesses. The ‘need for speed’ means that the UK is fast approaching a capacity crunch. The worst case scenario will see networks grinding to a halt, with untold affect on business productivity and competitiveness.

In addition, more remote areas are requiring broadband access, and the high-concentration of users in urban areas demanding services and content-rich data on the move are creating an ever-increasing bandwidth demand. With this in mind, the UK needs world-class backhaul network solutions. For speed, reliability and security, these really need to be fibre.”

London to lead the way

“The report addresses an important issues of broadband in rural areas, but an even more pressing issue is the development of next generation networks in the capital - Metropolitan cities need to lead the way. Central London, for example, is generally well served with fibre, but it is not just a case of having fibre in the vicinity of your building, but having your building actually connected to a fibre network and ensuring your provider can connect to the target location. Big corporations will not invest in cities with poor connectivity. They need to be sure that they can connect their HQs in London, Amsterdam or New York to these new sites.”

Fibre rates

“There has to be greater focus placed on the country’s internal connectivity in order for businesses to thrive in these difficult times. Innovation in this area will not come from us relying on the national incumbent alone, and it is encouraging to see the Government welcoming competitive investment in next generation networks. However, the Government contradicts itself, claiming to encourage fibre optic rollout, but at the same time taxing every meter of fibre optic that is lit. This counterproductive tax is in conflict with the development of essential next generation networks.”

Broadband as an essential utility

“As Gordon Brown commented, high speed internet access is as “indispensible as electricity, gas and water.” Businesses, and the buildings they are in, require higher speed internet access, much like they demand greater amounts of the utilities Brown references. The only reliable way to deliver high speed broadband is across fibre optic infrastructure. The Government must ensure this infrastructure is a mandatory consideration in the planning approval process for any new build commercial building or refurbishment project.”

Parity, IT services company

Alwyn Welch, CEO at Parity, has commented with regards to chapter 8 of the report:

“The government is right to be ambitious for its online presence – while it may be proud of making 75% of public services available online, there is still a lot of work to be done in raising awareness of what’s available online, and obviously with improving the public’s access to these services.

“Research undertaken for Parity found that 92% of those with the Internet at home said that improved awareness of online public services would encourage them to use those services more often. It’s essential that take-up is improved so that the government can realise the savings on front-line services it requires.

“The government should not underestimate what making ‘Government on the Web’ a reality will require. A step change in the way it procures IT and works with suppliers has to be accompanied by a shift in the way it addresses and engages with the public. It must buy and adapt its online services at Internet-speed, not at old-fashioned paper speed, if high levels of citizen adoption are to be won.

“Unifying online services under the DirectGov brand will only work if it learns the lessons of the current phase of service delivery: people need to know what’s out there, be able to find it quickly and easily and be able to conduct transactions - not just find information - in a secure environment.

“The public has an appetite for engaging with the government online, so services must keep evolving, must truly serve the public and must be available to the majority for this plan to work.”

Contact details

For further information, please call 020 7802 2626

For AboveNet: sarahphillips@lewispr.com

For Parity: suzyf@lewispr.com

Bookmarklets:

Recent Press Releases

2010 Archive

2009 Archive

2008 Archive

2007 Archive

Jump to:

Main News Desk

Digital Britain - What does it mean?

Contact details