Last week the ONS released their annual report on internet access in the UK. Overall it supports the findings of Ofcom’s Communications Report that more people are going online, and then doing more online.
Ofcom today published their annual Communications Market Report which as usual is packed full of figures and data on the state of play in television, radio, telecoms, internet content and postal sectors. Most of the headline have focused on the number of selfies we are taking and the realisation that smartphones are now the most popular device for getting online.
The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) will launch a report undertaken by Communications Chambers into the connectivity requirements of small businesses on 2 September.
As announced in Sharon White’s first speech as Ofcom CEO, the Regulator launched yesterday a new consultation on proposals to facilitate mobile switching services. On the basis of evidence gathered in summer 2014, Ofcom identified issues with the current switching processes, and found that these could be confusing and appear to be made difficult for consumers. By improving the switching process and dealing with consumers’ perception that “switching is hard???, Ofcom hopes these changes will lead to more effective competition between providers.
The Government has published its response to the House of Lords Digital Skills Select Committee report; ‘Make or Break: The UK’s Digital Future’. In responding to the report’s recommendations the Government acknowledges the scale of the challenge that it faces in making sure that we all have the right skills and access to the necessary infrastructure to take advantage of the technology revolution that is underway.
Ofcom today published its discussion document on the challenges facing the UK’s telecommunications sector over the next decade, marking the completion of the first phase of the Digital Communications Review that it kicked off in March. The key aim of the review is to ensure that the UK’s citizens and businesses are well served by high-quality, widely available telecoms services.
The UK is one of the five Global Broadband Internet Ecosystem Leaders, according to the Net Vitality Index. The report was produced by the Media Institute, a US not-for-profit research organisation focused on communications policy. It is based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the global broadband internet system and identifies the US, South Korea, Japan, and the UK as the top-tier global broadband leaders.
“Productivity is the challenge of our time??? – that is the stark opening of the Government’s ‘Fixing the Foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation’ which is billed as the second half of the Budget. The plan outlines the scale of the challenge facing the UK and sets out specific measures in order to overcome it, including practical measures that should help implement its goal for a “world-class digital infrastructure in every part of the UK???.
This week the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced that over 25,000 SMEs have now taken advantage of the Government’s broadband connection voucher scheme. The scheme helps businesses upgrade their broadband connection with a grant of up to £3000 and is available across 50 cities from over 500 suppliers.
In the early hours of this morning, the European Commission, European Parliament and Council of Ministers reached a political compromise on the Connected Continent Regulation. The Broadband Stakeholder Group recognises the efforts made by the EU Latvian Presidency to facilitate the negotiations and conclude them before the end of its term. The new EU law will end roaming charges from June 2017 when travelling in the EU and will include for the first time rules regulating the Open Internet.
Ofcom yesterday launched an action plan for improving the broadband services that are available to the UK’s small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Whilst they found that the vast majority of SMEs are satisfied with the communications and are well catered for, they did discover a significant minority who had less favourable experiences. Ofcom highlighted four issues that they feel need more attention; the availability of superfast broadband, a concentrated retail market structure, concerns around quality of service, and SMEs struggling to navigate the market.
The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), have published and adopted a timely report on net neutrality and which traffic management policies influence consumer’s purchasing decisions. The headline finding is that consumers unsurprisingly tend to favour packages that align with Open Internet principles*and that as long as “there is transparency, and consumers are able easily to switch provider, such services seem likely to predominate???. This supports the BSG’s view, backed by the UK Government and Ofcom, that transparency and effective competition are the best guarantors of the Open Internet.
Sharon White delivered today her first major speech as Ofcom’s Chief Executive at a Which? Conference. She stressed that Ofcom will continue to carry out its role as a light touch regulator, encouraging competition and investment, but with an increased consumer focus. As part of her speech, Sharon White highlighted some elements of Ofcom’s work programme, including the improvement of the process for consumers to switch broadband and landline providers, the upcoming Digital Communications Review, and confirming the government’s commitment to deliver the Universal Service Obligation of 5Mbit/s.
The Broadband Stakeholder Group is supporting Connected Britain, a two-day conference taking place in London on the 16th and 17th of June.
The Government released its latest report on the progress made by the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme. Thanks to this, superfast broadband is now available to over 2.4 million premises in the UK (an increase of 500 000 more premises since December 2014). This, according to the report, equates to nearly 8000 premises covered per £million of BDUK expenditure.
