Our Manifesto for Telecoms
We all know that telecoms can be a massive enabler for better business, as well as driving efficiency and revenue. But with a General Election looming, what are the policy wishes that would make sense for business telecoms?
In our latest feature, we take a look at the three things the next Government could do to help users, and the industry.
- Ofcom reform. The UK’s regulatory bodies and quangos have come in for some justified criticism in recent years. The biggest nettle that Ofcom could grasp when looking at the telecoms sector would be the speed of decision making. A regulator should deliver value by leading the way and being ahead of technology, rather than following the crowd. That’s why the reform of Ofcom to a leaner (and when they need to be, meaner) outfit, is top of our wish list.
- Taking bold policy decisions. In some ways, Government keeping their nose out of private business’ affairs is welcome. However, on the big policy decisions, there needs to be leadership. Take the retirement of the copper network as an example. Rather than providing much-needed certainty for business telecoms users, it has been up to the big infrastructure providers to make up their own rules. This encourages uncertainty and indecision for wider businesses.
- The return of long-termism. Telecoms is an industry that is ripe for long-term solutions, but all too often at the behest of policy, improvements are made in a piecemeal fashion. Telecoms is an economic enabler for all businesses in the UK. It is the route to improved technological solutions and has the ability to drive revenues at the same time as customer experience.
Whoever forms the next Government and whoever is the next minister with responsibility for telecoms, their department is going to have a full in-tray. As an industry though, we are well-placed to work with them and advise on the significant opportunities that are on offer, through better telecoms.