UK Digital Strategy
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-digital-strategy
Karen O’Kane – Programme Director Better Broadband for Norfolk
Digital Economy includes people working in digital
occupations which are not within digital sectors and many more
making use of digital technology to do their work, for example,
through e-commerce
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UK Digital Strategy supports the Government’s
Industrial Strategy green paper, specifically:
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Building world-class digital infrastructure for the UK
Giving everyone access to the digital skills they need
Making the UK the best place to start and grow a digital business
Helping every British business become a digital business
Making the UK the safest place in the world to live and work online
Maintaining the UK government as a world leader in serving its citizens online
Unlocking the power of data in the UK economy and improving public confidence
in its use
The Internet of Things involves:
• Intelligent buildings – improving security, energy efficiency and convenience
• Intelligent devices – including medical and social care applications
• Intelligent traffic management based on real time information – improving
traffic management and the management of emergencies
Theme One - Building world-class digital
infrastructure for the UK
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Continued rollout of 4G
Superfast broadband by 2020
Introducing a Broadband Universal Service Obligation
£1 billion investment including “Full Fibre” and 5G
Support consumers in getting the best deal in digital connectivity
Roll out free Wi-Fi on trains, and in more public places.
Continued rollout of 4G
• State Aid rules mean very limited public subsidy allowed
• Improvements largely depend on commercial investment
• £2.5 billion investment from the four main mobile operators in the UK; EE,
O2, Three and Vodafone to achieve 90% geographical voice coverage by end
2017
• Ofcom will review coverage in 2018 to then inform the Government
Superfast broadband by 2020
• 42% Norfolk properties covered by BT Openreach and Virgin Media
investment
• Better Broadband for Norfolk will increase coverage to 95% by end March
2020
• Independent Think Broadband site for up to date Norfolk coverage
information
http://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/index.php?area=E10000020
• Rebate provisions on the BBfN contract will support Norfolk’s aim to
achieve 100% coverage
Introducing a Broadband Universal Service
Obligation
• Broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) that would give everyone a right to a decent
broadband connection on reasonable request
• Ofcom advising Government on three scenarios:
• Scenario 1: a standard broadband service, characterised only by a 10Mbit/s download speed;
• Scenario 2: a more highly specified standard broadband service, adding upload speed (1Mbit/s), latency
(medium response time), maximum sharing between customers (a ‘contention ratio’ of 50:1), and a
defined data cap based on current usage profiles (100GB per month); and
• Scenario 3: a superfast broadband service, with download speeds of 30Mbit/s, upload of 6Mbit/s, fast
response times, a ‘committed information rate’ of 10Mbit/s (i.e. guaranteed 10Mbit/s at all times) and
an unlimited usage cap.
£1 billion investment including “Full Fibre”
and 5G
• The Budget announces the first steps, specifically:
• Up to £16m for leading UK research institutions to cooperate on a cutting edge 5G facility to
trial and demonstrate 5G technology. The first step to a new National 5G Innovation Network
• £200m investment to leverage commercial investment in Full-Fibre, the ‘gold standard’ of fast
and reliable broadband
• Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund will be launched in spring 2017.
Government investment of £400 million will be at least matched by private sector
investors, and will accelerate the deployment of Full Fibre networks by providing
developers with greater access to commercial finance.
Support consumers in getting the best deal in
digital connectivity
• Ensuring adverts for broadband accurately reflect the speeds and technology
actually on offer for the majority of customers, so that people know what
they are getting and can better find the most competitive deal.
• Roll out free Wi-Fi on trains, and in more public places
Other Government policies
• Reforming the Electronic Communications Code (ECC)
• Reforms to the planning regime
• The Government’s 5G Strategy
Reforming the Electronic Communications
Code
Reforms to the rights that communications providers have to access land.
Ensure property owners will be fairly compensated for use of their land, but
also explicitly acknowledge the economic value for all of society created from
investment in digital infrastructure.
Put digital communications infrastructure on a similar regime to utilities like
electricity and water.
Reforms to the planning regime
• Taller new ground based masts, increasing from 15 metres to 25 metres in
non-protected areas. New masts of up to 20 metres in protected areas. This
will involve local consultation
• The ability to increase the height of existing masts to 20 – 25 metres in nonprotected areas and 20 metres in protected areas
• Lifting restrictions on the number of antennae allowed on structures over 30
metres
• Lifting a variety pf restrictions on smaller structures
Government’s 5G Strategy
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Building the economic case
Fit for purpose regulations
Local areas – governance and capability
Coverage and capacity – convergence and the road to 5G
Ensuring a safe and secure deployment of 5G
Spectrum
Technology and standards