A plan for NextGen broadband?
Scotland's urgent need for better broadband resulted in its being the launchpad for the NextGen Roadshow starting its UK progress from an Edinburgh opening, 12 exhibitors and more than 170 delegates attending from enterprise, public sector services, local government and communities attending. MSP's and mobile operators however were two categories of participator and audience who chose not to have a presence.
Despite Scottish Government's commitment to deliver Digital Scotland and the recent SNP manifesto, no MSP made even a brief appearance to the meeting on a critical need to map a broadband strategy that delivers access countrywide. At the talk on 'Hard to reach Places' it was noted that the mobile operators were also hard to reach, "either too busy or simply not interested."
"To compete in the 21st century we need to build a digitally skilled
nation," said ScotlandIS director, Polly Purvis, who co-sponsored the event
with the Royal Society of Edinburgh (whose much lauded report still
needs to be into action.)
"Digital access and greater take-up of online services is a key component in delivering a digital Scotland and globally competitive connectivity must now be woven into the plans for every part of the Scottish economy and our community development," Purvis urged, concluding with a final panel comment, that all existing infrastructures should be consider and the "established network of power lines and sewage pipelines should not be ignored."
Professor Geoffrey Boulton, General Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh added: "Concerted and immediate action is essential if all of Scotland is to compete and benefit from the digital economy."
Among the leading industry organisations attending were Fujitsu, Draka, Avanti, BT and BDUK - the organisation overseeing bids for central government funding support.
BT which has built out an extensive wholesale fibre network in the UK offers up-to-100Mbps FTTH to only 25% of some 16m premises that will be passed by networks by 2015. The rest will get FTTC, only offering up to 40Mbps.
Fujitsu is on record with Director Bill Mackenzie saying it will build out a wholesale fibre UK broadband
network, offering NextGen services to 5m rural homes. However it would
need to rely on BT's poles and ducts (PIA) and will not go ahead unless
this is feasible. Using Cisco's infrastructure in its bid to create a
second biggest UK network, both Virgin Media and TalkTalk would resell
Fujitsu services, speeds initially up to 1Gbps, with the potential for
10Gbps.
Those involved in planning and building next generation broadband
schemes in rural areas of Scotland as well as the operators representing
a variety of technological and economic solutions, all voiced their
views, where the mix and choice of next generation solutions will be
needed to utilise all wireless, satellite and fibre advances.
Read the full story at Compute Scotland