Industry and regulators need to settle differences over broadband future

A senior official from mobile giant O2 has recently stated that if the industry and regulators do not settle disputes over the future of broadband then the UK could be left serious lagging behind.

Whilst it is common knowledge amongst industry officials, regulators, and consumers that the UK has a long way to go to catch up with some other westernised countries in terms of broadband advancement, one senior official from mobile communications giant O2 has recently stated that this is something that is unlikely to happen if the industry and regulators do not settle their disputes over the future of broadband.

Ronan Dunne, who is the chief executive of O2, said that regulators and the industry needed to settle their differences as a matter of urgency if broadband advancement and development is to continue in the UK. Mr Dunne said: “Everybody agrees UK plc needs to extract a digital dividend. We want the UK to be a leader and UK plc to benefit. We don’t want it to fall behind.”

Whilst talks amongst industry officials, the government, and regulators continue, action seems to have come to a standstill as the disputes continue, and Mr Dunne said that this could profoundly affect broadband advancement in the UK. He said: “Things like government and regulatory certainty are really important. If we sit on our hands and don’t invest, there is a danger that Europe gets behind the investment curve.”

He continued: “As an industry, we have just gone through four billion mobile devices. There are more people who have access to the internet via a mobile device than fixed.” Dunne added that the mobile industry had weathered the economic downturn relatively well, stating: “Most people recognise that the sector is not immune but is more resilient than most. People are going to keep using mobile phones; we have to ask how we give them more value. We can make a huge impact right across the economy.”