SCOTS DON’T WANT TO BE LEFT IN THE DARK WHEN IT COMES TO BROADBAND

Published 13th October 2008

Survey shows huge demand for Next Generation Broadband in Scotland

More than three quarters (84%) of the online population in Scotland want high speed downloads and even more (87%) would like TV and films on demand, according to a survey commissioned by Mott MacDonald, a management and engineering consultancy. Yet less than 0.01% of households in the UK have a fibre network to the home which would allow access to Next Generation Broadband to deliver these services, compared to 7% in Norway and 37% in South Korea.

The survey also highlighted that Scots want access to online services such as video calls (63%) and remote healthcare (61%) whilst over two thirds (71%) would like high speed broadband to access virtual learning tools.

The research was commissioned by the Information, Communications and Media division of Mott MacDonald, ahead of a seminar it is holding in Glasgow today which aims to build an understanding of what Next Generation Broadband is about and what it means for the future of businesses and households in Scotland.

The half day event brings together key speakers who will be discussing how Next Generation Broadband differs from current technology and what it means for the regeneration of urban and rural Scotland. Attended by developers, investors and decision and policy makers, the seminar aims to highlight the role of the private and public sectors in bringing a fibre network to Scotland.

Tom Allen, director of the Information, Communications & Media division at Mott MacDonald, said: “The Scottish online population has told us they want broadband that simply delivers and this seminar gives key players from the private and public sector the chance to question and debate the issue with independent experts and suppliers and hopefully ensure that Scotland doesn’t get left behind.

“Although BT has announced plans to invest £1.5 billion to build a high-speed fibre access network to deliver broadband services across the UK, it brings up questions on its suitability to Scotland. With its own Government Scotland has the power to invest in its own fibre network and the strong central belt provides an area rich with urban developments and businesses making a publicly owned venture worthwhile.
“The roll-out of high speed broadband is going to be key to the future of the Scottish economy. It will allow the country’s businesses to grow and innovate and give households the access to the information and services that other countries already receive.”

Other speakers at the seminar include Professor Barry Forde, a professor in computer networking at Lancaster University; Mike Ainger of Geo, developers of bespoke fibre solutions and Tracey Sheehan, a senior associate in technology at commercial law firm, Hammonds. Adrian Cooke will also be present as a member of the Q&A panel. Adrian is the leader of Fibrecity which is the deployment of town and city wide fibre optic networks to homes and businesses.

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NOTES TO EDITORS
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1028 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6th - 8th August 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Scottish adults (aged 18+).