UK’S DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY UNDER SPOTLIGHT AT NEXTGEN14

Number One High Tech City, Derby, to host this year’s prime digital showcase

The Government’s Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy will be debated at NextGen14 in November. NextGen14 is the UK’s leading two-day event for next generation digital access and will be hosted by Derby City Council on 11-12 November.

Mark Swarbrick, Project Director Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy, will discuss the key headlines emerging from this long-awaited DCMS production, with the consultation period for the strategy closing this weeki.

Derby is a leading European ‘City of the Future’ – ranked high in this year’s fDi Intelligence shortlistii. Derby City Council campaigned to host this year’s national conference and expo.

Derby boasts many high tech achievements, with 12 per cent of its workforce employed in high tech jobs. It is also home to leading international companies including Rolls Royce, Toyota Manufacturing UK and Bombardier. NextGen 14 will take place in the historic Silk Mill – the site of the first factory in the world.

Now in its seventh year, this year’s NextGen agenda will have a focus on digital communities, smarter cities, connectivity and enterprise growth. Other themes include 5G, open data, privacy and municipal enterprise. The event will be moderated by Dr Julia Glidden, Founder and President of 21c Consultancy. Fabio Nasarre de Letosa from the European Commission will discuss the Commission’s view on broadband developments in the UK and further afield.

ITS Technology Group, a gold sponsor and exhibitor at the event, recently provided fibre to Derby’s Pride Park. Roy Shelton, CEO of ITS Technology Group, said: “It is not always the most obvious places, such as remote, or indeed deprived areas, that find themselves in danger of digital exclusion. Despite Derby’s rich technology heritage, Pride Park was overlooked in terms of superfast connectivity, with businesses on the park struggling to take advantage of cloud technologies and other applications. This gap has been addressed by ITS, as we have developed and are deploying right at this moment, a fixed wireless model that delivers on the superfast broadband promise.”

Other speakers already announced include Mark Collins, Director of Strategy and Policy at CityFibre and digital leaders Karin Ahl, President Fibre to the Home Council Europe, Helen Milner, CEO Tinder Foundation and Chris Yiu, Director at Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and former Head of the Digital Government Unit at Policy Exchange.

Councillor Ranjit Banwait, Leader of Derby City Council, said: “Derby has a very high-tech economy and is supported by many SMEs. Its technological and digital advances are something we are pleased we can showcase and NextGen14 offers the perfect platform for this. With many digital leaders attending the conference we welcome them to Derby and look forward to the event.”

The conference will also hold a special presentation ceremony to reveal the winners of the Next Generation Digital Challenge Awards 2014, showcasing the best in next generation digital access infrastructure and innovative applications in the UK.