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Zoom Britannia![]() Britain's Labour Party promises universal ultra-broadband speeds by 2022 and the creation of a digital ambassador to promote the nation post-Brexit, according to a leaked draft version of the political party's manifesto. The 20,000-word draft includes a ten-year plan for Britain, and focuses on areas such as ultra-broadband, energy and digital opportunities. As part of this platform, Labour promises 30Mbit/s "universal superfast broadband availability" to all households in Britain by 2022. Under the country's existing plan, universal service obligation was set at 10 Mbit/s by 2020; a proposed amendment boosting speeds to 30 Mbit/s was not included in the final version of the UK's Digital Economy Act. "Few things are more crucial to businesses and our economy than a fast and reliable Internet connection, but 3 million households and businesses have been left incapacitated by slow internet," the document said. "We will deliver a universal superfast 30Mbit/s service availability to all households by 2022." In addition, Labour wants to enhance mobile coverage and add more free WiFi in cities and on transportation systems, the manifesto said. To finance these deployments, the party said it will leverage "near-record low interest rates to invest £250 billion" over ten years. That's roughly equivalent to $322 billion. The digital ambassador, to be appointed by Labour party members, will work with technology businesses to promote the country for outside investors and vendors, and to support British companies, ranging from startups to well-established firms, the document said. It's not the first time Labour has expressed ultra-broadband and mobile communication ambitions. In 2016, party leader Jeremy Corbyn said, "It is not fair the people living in London can enjoy 4G... where in many parts of Wales people can't even get a single bar," reported the Register. In a 2016 report, 89% of UK premises had Internet access with speeds of at least 30 Mbit/s, up from 83% in 2015, Akamai's "State of the Internet" reported. However, only 2% of British premises had access to ultrafast broadband at speeds of at least 300 Mbit/s, the study said. Related posts:
— Alison Diana, Editor, UBB2020. Follow us on Twitter @UBB2020 or @alisoncdiana. |
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