Upgrading broadband networks could boost UK economy, says report
June 9, 2008 - A new report by the Broadband Stakeholder Group has suggested that upgrading the UK's broadband networks to deliver 100Mbps connections could help the country's economy.
The report adds that while the cost of implementing a next generation network could be as much as £16bn (US$31bn), the benefits could outweigh the costs: "By looking at the potential private value (value accruing to commercial investors and consumers) and the wider economic and social value, the BSG has found that the long-term benefits to the UK associated with the wide-scale deployment could outweigh the cost of deployment, which could be as much as £16bn (to reach 80 per cent of UK homes).”
Antony Walker, CEO of the Broadband Stakeholder Group, commented that: “Next generation broadband has the potential to transform the way we do things as individuals, businesses and as a nation as a whole… If widespread network deployment didn’t happen in the medium term (perhaps three to five years), then this report suggests that the UK could be losing out.”
The report was discussed at today's BSG 2008 conference, held in partnership with Ofcom, titled "Beyond Pipe Dreams? Prospects for Next Generation Broadband in the UK".
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