EPRC Seminar: Broadband in Scotland: New Technologies, Market Returns and Social Inclusion

On 11 May, EPRC hosted a seminar by Jason Whalley of the Department of Management Science at the University of Strathclyde. Jason presented his current research on broadband within Scotland and placed its availability and adoption within the broader context of the UK telecommunications market. Through doing so, he revealed a series of challenges. Regulatory and commercial issues influence where and when operators invest, encouraging them to invest preferentially in densely populated areas and at a pace that is slower than many commentators feel is needed. The result is a 'patchwork quilt' of coverage in the UK. The switch to fibre in which operators are now beginning to engage is likely to exacerbate the differences that exist. Jason specifically looked at the position of Scotland, which presents lower uptake than many other parts of the UK, and where the trend of stagnating broadband uptake presents a challenge to catching-up.