Government and the regions must join in a "pincer movement" to
push next generation broadband, a campaigner has urged.
Glyn Pitchford, elected Business Voice WM business
representative on the City Region board, said the combination of
Government efforts to extend the technology across households and
business selling the advantages to SMEs, people would be galvanised
into action.
The aspiration is to take the system from the current two
megabits per second towards the target of 100 megabits.
Mr Pitchford said the result would be to transform business
opportunities and drive the economy forward.
Noting claims that 38 per cent of SMEs in the region still don't
even have a computer, he said it would be like "giving somebody a
mobile phone when previously they hadn't even got a landline".
It was up to business and the City Region to create a market for
next generation broadband just as the BBC had done with the
iPlayer. "At the moment the market is not there for next generation
broadband. We have to do something about that just like in the case
of the iPlayer. The BBC put it out, people liked it, bought into it
and suddenly it was huge.
"The same can be true of next generation broadband. We have to
battle for the hearts and minds of SMEs because it is they who will
create the demand.
"They don't realise it yet but they need it because they will do
more business as a result. It will create more opportunities for
themm enabling them to do things more quickly, differently and more
innovatively. They will be able to think out of the box. Ultimately
it is a no-brainer.
"If we can offer them case studies and persuade them to come to
roadshows and learn the art of the possible, then I believe they
will sit up and take notice. Once they decide they want a slice of
the action we have the market."
The Government, noted Mr Pitchford, was approaching the issue
from a different direction, targeting householders.
"They want to get next generation broadband into UK homes, make
it a condition of planning permission for new houses, and encourage
the phone companies to keep putting in the infrastructure - fibre
optic cabling.
"Once residential occupiers get hooked there will be a spin-off
for business because many SMEs work from home.
"We are talking about a pincer movement - the City Region and
the Government."
And given that Midland universities like Aston, Birmingham and
Warwick were ahead of the game in the likes of fibre optics and
photonics, the technology, said Mr Pitchford, was "on our
doorstep".
By targeting the cities first this would act as a stepping stone
to the shires where currently broadband is often slow or
unavailable.
BT has previously promised that by early summer next generation
broadband will be available at eight Midlands exchanges - serving
around 110,000 homes and businesses in Fallings Park, Great Barr,
Leamore, Northern (Soho, Birmingham), Nuneaton, Tettenhall, Walsall
and Wednesbury.
That is now being extended to Earlsdon, Hednesford, Kenilworth,
Solihull, Tamworth and Warwick, adding 73,000 more homes and
businesses.