Ofcom panel sets out recommendations for super-fast broadband

People who are currently excluded from first-generation broadband services should get access to next-generation services at the same time as others, according to telecoms watchdog Ofcom.

Anna Bradley, head of Ofcom’s Consumer Panel, said today that if policy-makers were “imaginative” they could tackle the digital divide in a way that would let consumers, who can’t get today’s higher speeds, skip to the next generation of broadband services.

Next-generation broadband will give speeds of up to 100Mbits/sec and deliver new services and products. However, it will be expensive to implement and areas where costs are not easily recouped could get left behind as they are now.

“We already know that the economic case for next-generation access will not stack up in some areas and we can predict which areas that will be. So let’s address these issues alongside commercial roll-out, not after it.

"If we are imaginative and use a mix of private and public business models, we could provide a way for consumers who are excluded from first-generation broadband to leapfrog straight to the next generation,” Anna Bradley said.

The panel said policy-makers should be careful not to deepen the current digital divide and should consider the potential savings in other areas made possible by providing next-generation access (NGA) for those who are currently marginalised.

In What is the value of next-generation broadband? it sets out a number of recommendations. In particular it highlights services such as NHS telemedicine, the delivery of specialist services from a central hub for disabled consumers and the provision of education for marginalised communities.

“The UK is making some critical decisions about the delivery of next-generation broadband in the UK. Consumers and citizens stand to gain a great deal, but the decisions need to be informed by a proper sense of the value next generation networks can deliver, not just to companies and consumers, but to the economy and society as a whole," Ms Bradley said.