Transcript SR DigitalHIE September 11

Digital Highlands and Islands
Stuart Robertson
Head of Broadband and Digital
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Digital Highlands and Islands
Action Plan - Overview
Highlands and Islands Region
- Priorities for Digital
• Improving Connectivity
• Business Growth – ICT Business and
Community Support
• Developing ICT Skills and Awareness
(Digital Participation / Inclusion)
• Collaboration and funding
• Communications plan and awareness
raising
Highlands and Islands Region
- Current focus activity
• New ‘Broadband and Digital Team’
• Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) project
• ICT Business and Community Support – scoping
programme of support with Business Gateway
• Citizens Online project
• Sectoral links – Digital Healthcare, Homeworking,
Smart Tourism
• ICT Skills Action Plan development – with SFC, SDS,
ScotlandIS, eSkills UK and SEnt
• Glasgow School of Art, Centre for Design Innovation
Digital Participation
• Citizens Online project “Everybody Online” –
recruitment of digital champions in remote
communities
• Supporting individuals to develop IT skills through
local events and sessions in communities
• Funded by BT, Nominet Trust and the Highland
Council
• Project has successfully worked with 380 people in
the Caithness and Sutherland area since 2008
• HIE currently working with the UK digital ambassador
as the rural partner for the Race Online 2012 team
Partnership and Collaboration
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UK and Scottish Government
Business Gateway (national and local)
Public sector partners (incl. UHI, NHS, Las)
Private sector, including representative
business organisations
• Technology Strategy Board and the
Knowledge Transfer Networks
• Professional organisations
• Represent the region on the Scottish
Technology Advisory Group and IAG for ICT
Connectivity Review
• Connectivity in the Highlands and Islands is
good
– Broadband coverage is good; high take-up
– 2G coverage is comparable to other rural regions
• ...but it’s not great
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Low broadband speeds
Small exchanges on Exchange Activate
Limited ADSL2+
Gaps in 2G coverage
3G coverage limited to a number of towns
Superfast Broadband
Telephone exchange
ADSL
UK
up to 24Mbit/s
Fibre to the cabinet
up to 100Mbit/s
2010
2012
2015
45%
50%
66%
Current & Planned Rollout
UK Government Objectives
• To ensure this country has the best
Superfast Broadband in Europe by the
end of this parliament
• To ensure delivery of Standard
Broadband to virtually all communities
in the UK within the lifetime of this
parliament
BDUK Process
• £530m available to 2015, £300m expected to
be available in 2016-2017
• October 2010 announced funding for 4 initial
superfast broadband projects
– Highlands and Islands, Cumbria, North Yorkshire
and Herefordshire
• £68.8m allocated to Scottish Government
• Devolved Administrations to agree national
plans with BDUK
Highlands and Islands Project
Key Towns
20km within Initial Towns
Employment Deficit Area
Additional Settlements
Fragile Area and Small Towns
Highlands and Islands Project
• Provide superfast broadband into towns
• Will deliver improved backhaul across the
region
• Further work will investigate roll-out of 3G
and 4G coverage
• Will investigate re-use of infrastructure
• PQQ shortlist announced – BT, C&W,
Commendium and Fujitsu
• Expect upgrades to begin in 2012/13