The Future Telecoms Conference took place earlier this month, bringing together stakeholders from across the private and public sectors to discuss where connectivity is headed in the UK. Organised by techUK, this flagship event held in London was a forum for debate on today’s investment challenges and the critical need to bridge the digital divide for homes and businesses by extending reliable connectivity to underserved areas.
For those of us working in technology enabled care this is a challenge that we are well aware of as we get ever closer to the end of analogue technology across health, housing and social care and the benefits that will bring. With digital switchover now set for January 2027 and the government setting the pace for reform, this day long discussion could not have been timelier. It certainly should have focused minds.
The conference picked up on a recent speech by Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant MP, where he stated: ‘there’s no route to growth without digital infrastructure.’ That referred to his appearance at the TMT World Conference in January 2025 where delegates gathered to discuss future deals and opportunities in digital infrastructure, telecoms and tech across the EMEA region and beyond.
This is an excerpt from that keynote speech highlighting the government’s role in supporting digital infrastructure investment and it’s as relevant to the TEC sector as it is the wider economy across the UK and Europe:
“A country with fierce ambitions: connectivity for all; inclusion wherever you live; science and innovation unshackled; AI unleashing greater productivity across the economy and public services.
“There’s no route to growth without digital infrastructure. The fibres, the subsea cables, the telegraph poles, the ducts, the data centres, the satellite connections, they are the central nervous system of a modern economy.
As delegates at the techUK event agreed, the time for talk is over. It’s now time for delivery. From the TEC sector’s perspective that includes reduced red tape, planning reform to speed up decisions and investment in the latest cloud-based digital technologies that are best placed to deliver a preventative model of care.
Peter Kerly, who leads Everon’s operations in the UK, said:
“Only with the right investment decisions that are focused on the long term partnerships and a connected approach to delivering person centred services will today’s acute pressures faced by the NHS and the wider community health ecosystem, including supported housing and care providers, be resolved."
Everon will be exhibiting and sharing how digital transformation can be delivered at the International Technology Enabled Care Conference taking place on 17 and 18 March 2025 at the ICC in Birmingham. You’ll find the team at Stand Number 11.
