Duke of Rothesay and HIE report warn of ‘broadband deserts’

The Duke of Rothesay, aka Prince Charles, has warned of the creation of ‘ghost communities and of ‘vandalism on a grand scale’ if serious investment is not made in getting superfast broadband to rural communities.

Seeing UK broadband provision as a two-lane superhighway, the Prince expressed serious concern at the extent of the disadvantage served up to the rural communities consigned to the slow lane.

He sees rural businesses missing out on receiving and supplying vital online services. He describes as ‘immense’ the handicap placed on rural businesses, schools, doctors’ surgeries and local authorities unable to access broadband speeds adequate to today’s and future needs. He reiterated the description of such areas as ‘broadband deserts’.

The Prince’s comments come shortly after the release of a report commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise into telecomms connectivity across the territory.

This found that 95% of the area has no more than a basic broadband provision and – worryingly – that no homes in the Highlands and Islands will be included in the initial introduction of faster services. This UK roll-out is known as Next Generation Access (NGA).

Virgin Media, the leader in the field,  has the technology and the installation experience elsewhere – but has no plans to extend its service to the Highlands and Islands.

BT is just beginning the connection of 10 million homes to fibre-optic cables, but none of the first 1.5 million households to be covered is in Highlands and Islands.

The areas seen as ratcheting up the overall cost of installing fibreoptic cables in the Highlands are those which either are or include significant island communities: Argyll, the Western Isles, the Orkney Isles and the Shetland Isles.

The Highlands and Islands are also shortchanged in fast mobile phone broadband services with respectable connection to the 3G network.

What the Prince of Wales has just said echoed the views of Alex Paterson, HIE’s Director of Regional Competitiveness. He sees good Internet services as vital to businesses in the area: ‘Telecoms connectivity is a cornerstone of the digital economy and provides opportunities to accelerate innovation and raise productivity.

‘HIE is committed to ensuring that the region attracts funding and consequently infrastructure for next generation access broadband coverage’.

Trouble is Mr Paterson gives no hint as to how HIE sees this as achievable or where it will look for the funding it is committed to attracting for the necessary infrastructural development. This leaves the situation looking little more than aspirational.