Digital capability, capacity and the infrastructure to support it

In our Connecting today for tomorrow research series, we aim to put a spotlight on digital connectivity in the UK.

The country’s reliance on broadband and mobile connections is only rising, with many stakeholders now responsible for delivering the connections on which we all depend.

To get the best insight into how policymakers are thinking about the issue of connectivity, we have conducted a wide-ranging survey of 100 MPs and more than 500 local councillors. The findings are shared in detail throughout the report.

Introduction

Netflix’s international hit show ‘One Day’ has captivated audiences around the world. But the online chatter is not only focusing on the central love story. Viewers are sharing their fascination with a seemingly contemporary story that starts in the late 1980s – before email, social media, and mobile phones. There were landlines, and answering machines, and no real way of contacting someone unless you had their number.

Fast forward to today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without a phone that lets us contact anyone at any time, read a map, take a photo, order a new jacket or pay money into our bank account. Or life without a laptop that allows us to chat to colleagues, hold meetings and work anywhere.

Connectivity has not only enhanced our lifestyle. There are large-scale economic implications too. Connectivity
is now tightly woven into the fabric of business. In its latest report, Ofcom said: “Mobile services extend beyond
serving the general public; they play a pivotal role in supporting business connectivity and facilitating device-to device communication. In today’s digital landscape, many businesses rely on broadband services for the actual delivery of their products and services.” As we look to the future, digital connectivity will also be crucial in helping businesses achieve their net zero goals – as outlined in more detail in our last report.

The appetite for digital data has grown exponentially over the last 15 years, and the technology that delivers it has
become increasingly advanced. The UK’s consumption of data has risen by more than 1600% over the last decade,
(as illustrated in the chart on page 2 of the downloadable report)

The average UK data use was 535GB per connection per month in 2023. We predict the appetite for data will continue to rise, and, if the supply side keeps up, this measure of data usage will increase to 800GB by 2030.

However, connectivity does not work without the infrastructure to deliver it. Our challenge in the UK is our ability
to develop the infrastructure to support this rapid rate of growth. In this report we aim to highlight the factors holding back the country’s connectivity, including infrastructure delivery, and suggest some ways to help address these.