The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) has published its first full set of recommendations to the Welsh Government. The report calls for the establishment of a 'barrier busting' taskforce to make the country a more attractive location for digital infrastructure investment.
The report says that too much attention has been focused on promoting fibre to the home, and not enough to improving the provision of mobile broadband. The Commission does not believe the UK Government's target of getting fibre to every home by 2025 is realistic. It is concerned that the challenges of deploying fibre in Wales - with a lower population density, weaker demand and challenging topography - will leave Welsh homes and businesses at the back of the queue for connectivity.
The Commission recommends that home mobile broadband connections could provide a good, low-cost alternative for homes and businesses in rural areas, either permanently or until fibre is deployed. The recommendation to refocus on mobile connectivity in Wales was welcomed by Mobile UK, trade group representing mobile network operators (MNOs). The group welcomed proposals to review Welsh planning guidance and permitted development rights to be brought in line with those proposed in England (and likely to be copied replicated in Scotland).
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