The debate around Next Generation Access (NGA) is currently the key focus for the BSG.

In April 2007 the BSG released its 'Pipe Dreams?' report on prospects for next generation broadband in the UK. The report crystallised the key issues facing UK government and industry as we move towards NGA in the UK, and made a series of recommendations.

The BSG has since been focused on implementing these recommendations, working with stakeholders to develop further insight into the issues the report raised in order to create an evidence base for public and regulatory policy-making.

Current work is focusing on the economic and social value of NGA, models for public sector intervention in the deployment of NGA, and development of the regulatory framework in order to create an environment for investment in NGA.

At the beginning of the decade, the UK lagged behind its global competitors in terms of broadband penetration – ranking 24 out of 32 OECD countries and with less than one in ten households with broadband.

The landscape has changed dramatically since then. There are now almost 15 million broadband connections, speeds continue to rise while prices have fallen. As broadband has become more ubiquitous, new content, services and applications have emerged to drive demand.

It is therefore tempting to view the UK broadband market as a 'job done'. However, the challenge of being a world leader in the deployment, adoption and exploitation of broadband has not gone away.

As new video-rich, bandwidth-hungry services are developed in the UK and around the world, and as recognition increases that broadband forms the critical underlying infrastructure for a knowledge economy, inceasingly the challenge is to deliver next generation broadband networks.

• how will the next generation of broadband access networks develop to support emerging services and applications and enable the UK to compete in the global marketplace?
• how much speed is enough for both consumers and businesses?
• given the significant investment costs involved, how will these next generation services be made available outside the more commercially attractive high-density areas? What are the commercial, regulatory and policy drivers and barriers?
• how do we avoid creating a new geographic digital divide between urban and rural areas?

The BSG set out the key issues concerning delivery of NGA, and made a series of recommendations for industry and government, in its Pipe Dreams report. 

Other relevant pages on the BSG website

BSG Economic and Social Value steering group

BSG Public Sector Interventions steering group

16 April 2007, launch of BSG report: 'Pipe Dreams? Prospects for next generation broadband deployment in the UK'

BSG Research and Metrics working group

BSG Predicting Future Bandwidths report