UK needs broadband offensive

Timms: next-generation broadband is key challenge

The government is calling a meeting of broadband industry stakeholders to ensure the UK keeps up with global competitors.

Next-generation internet access with speeds of up to 100Mbit/s is increasingly available in other countries but only limited pilots are under way here.

Falling behind will damage UK business, competitiveness minister Stephen Timms told Computing.

“It is a concern that investment is not taking place on any scale,” he said.

“I am very keen that we make sure we are in a strong position relative both to other countries and to the needs of our economy and our users. High-speed broadband is a key challenge in my role as minister for competitiveness.”

The summit meeting, to be held before the end of the year, will consider how to overcome bottlenecks to investment.

Widespread access to fibre-optic connotations to the home will profoundly affect businesses and the content industry.

The government should set a target to be a world leader by 2012, said Antony Walker, chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG).

“Next-generation internet access is central to the disruption already taking place in the traditional broadcast industry, but the real value will spread right across the economy,” he said. “We will see a wave of innovation, just as we did with current generation broadband.”

The BSG says the estimated £15bn-worth of capital investment needed requires a different policy and regulatory framework.

There has been progress. Cable provider Virgin Media is expanding its 50Mbit/s trial to 300 users next month. And BT is committed to installing fibre in greenfield building developments and upgrading standard speeds to 24Mbit/s.

But ultimately, success is down to the market, said Institute of Directors senior policy adviser Jim Norton.

“The person who made broadband take off the first time was BT’s Ben Verwaayen when he judged it was in the firm’s commercial interest,” he said.

“What will drive next-generation investment is not the government, but the consensus that there is a business case.”