Future Prospects for UK Broadband and Next Generation Access

In the last ten years, the Internet has revolutionised our working, social and domestic lives, to such an extent that it is now taken for granted that it will pervade and shape our futures becoming as much a utility as electricity has been for the last 100 years. It is envisaged there will be at least one ‘fast' symmetrical connection to every place of work, learning, leisure and living in the future. The technical challenges this presents have been, and will continue to be, debated. In addition, there are considerable regulatory challenges in enabling next-generation competitive, equitable, inclusive Internet services to role out across the UK. The speaker identifies some of the key regulatory challenges for UK broadband and suggests some of the options by which they may be addressed. A question-and-answer session follows this speech.