The Government lanuched its 'Digital Britain' report, a communications blueprint of sorts for the nation.
What's in it for business? Cloud computing.
One MD I spoke with 2 weeks ago said he cut his IT overheads by 30% by using an online supply chain management tool. So rather than have costly software, computers and servers (with all the costly consultants to get it up and running), this company went online. It's the same difference between having Microsoft Word installed on your computer or using GoogleDocs online. You can access your information from anywhere in the world. Cloud computing boosts productivity and cuts costs.
So what does Digital Britain offer by way of the broadband network needed to support cloud computing? Not much.
The report made a commitment to roll out a Universal Service of 2Mbps by 2012.
Really? That's the best the government could hope for?
Singapore set out a 10-year strategy in 2005 to improve broadband speeds and access. It now has 99% penetration and speeds of 100Mbps. Likewise, two-thirds of all Japanese households have access with average speeds of 90Mbps.
Broadband speeds tend to double every 20 months. So by the time we have universal 2Mbps in 2012, top speeds in the UK could be around 160-200Mpbs, and the equivalent of 300-400Mbps elsewhere in the world.
Will Britain really be the 'digital capital of the world' as the Prime Minister suggested yesterday?
Not with our paltry ambitions.
And businesses, competeting globally and looking online to cut costs and boost productivity, could eventually see Britain as a digital backwater.