11 – 12 September 2024, ExCeL Centre, London
Connected Britain Conference reflected the energy, dynamism, and flurry of activity of the UK telecoms sector.
This year’s event, held over two days at the ExCeL Centre in London, was its most well-attended yet, and rife with an atmosphere of innovation, excitement, and well-balanced optimism as government representatives, ISPs and consultants acknowledged the substantial achievements in the fixed telecoms sector to date but agreed that the industry needs to push ahead with strategic policies and smart acquisitions to push the UK to a world leader in digital technology.
With over 350 speakers covering topics from strategies for delivering network sustainability, Local Authority approaches to implementing digital agendas, to the changing landscape of the future fixed line wholesale market. One key item moving up the agenda during this year’s conference was AI and its role in network planning and integration and being a driver of profitability for telcos.
Lowering costs of network planning, deployments, integration, and maintenance are key focus areas for suppliers aiming to streamline operations, cut spending costs, and keep investors satisfied. AI-driven solutions are gaining ground in these areas with suppliers utilizing the technology to deepen their understanding of economic activity, customer demand trends, and other data points for a particular area to shape their business models. A key takeaway from the conference is that AI will be growing in importance to network suppliers and operators in the future as a driver of sustainable profitability.
As expected, consolidation within the sector remained a talking point during the sessions. The general consensus was that it would certainly happen but at a slower pace than previously expected. We reported on the consolidation slowdown in our July wholesale sector report which outlined the future shape of the wholesale versus retail sector landscape over the next five years. A panel discussion, Wholesale empowerment and the future of wholesale in the UK fibre market, stressed the shift in focus by retail suppliers/ISPs to a wholesale model or hybrid form would be integral to ensuring future competition and survival in a saturated marketplace.
Drawing the conference to a close was the Ministerial Keynote Address by Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Focusing on enhancing the UK's digital foundations, Minister Sir Chris Bryant MP outlined the government's future vision of the sector. With an updated Digital Inclusion Strategy on the horizon to tackle digital exclusion in every community along with 'not spots' in areas that continue to be excluded by network enhancements.
The Minister highlighted that through continual support for commercial investment in the UK's digital economy and infrastructure along with new legislation on Smart Data expected this year, the government aims to drive a digitally connected, secure and inclusive policy agenda going forward.
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