Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s speech today outlining the government’s plans for a significant investment in the UK’s infrastructure, Lloyd Felton, CEO of Essex based rural broadband provider County Broadband which is building new networks in Norfolk, commented:
“We welcome today’s announcement of a multi-billion pound investment in the UK’s infrastructure to turbo charge economic growth, but note that there was no firm commitment to re-fuelling the pledge towards providing full-fibre connectivity to the whole of the UK by 2025.
“The COVID-19 lockdown has transformed almost every aspect of modern life and, creating an unexpected mass trial of working from home, video calling family and friends, virtual education for our children, online consultations and the move away from traditional TV to online streaming…
“The golden thread running through this is broadband and whilst the UK’s digital infrastructure has, by in large, been holding steady, the creaking at the seams is becoming noticeably louder. For too long we have relied on outdated copper cables to deliver this essential utility and the UK continues to lag behind our European neighbours.
“We must turbocharge the rollout of future-ready full-fibre broadband so businesses have the digital capacity for growth and households can keep connected to the ever-growing number of devices and services in the home. Nowhere is this more important than in rural parts of the country which have historically been left behind.
“We are continuing to drive forward the rollout of our Hyperfast full-fibre service to ‘often-forgotten’ rural communities across Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire following a multi-million private investment. A collaborative approach of private and public investment will mean the UK can stand tall in the digital sphere and compete on an international scale. Any failure to do so will ripple through generations to come. We must not delay.”