2010: A broadband odyssey
Published: 08 Apr 2004 16:30 BST
So the killer broadband applications of the future won't come from telcos, but will be generated by local communities?
I think the killer application will be realtime video, which people will use for domestic purposes -- to keep in touch with friends in Australia, or to check that elderly parents are OK at home. It'll be these kind of social services that really take off, not people in suits using it at work.
As people get older, they'll use broadband to extend their independence. There's lot of things that can be done with broadband that make a fundamental difference to the way people operate. I'm involved in the ABC because I believe we can achieve fundamental social change through broadband, and that's a massive part of the agenda.
How impressed have you been with the performance of e-commerce minister Stephen Timms?
Timms has done a very good job. He has a good understanding of the potential of the technology.
And politicians in general?
Broadband isn't a partisan issue. At the second ABC conference (in January 2004) we had Stephen Timms, Alun Michael (Minister of State for Rural Affairs) and Michael Fabricant (Shadow Minister for Trade and Industry). Broadband is so important for the future of the economy that there's lots of unity across politics of the need to do something, and I'd like to see all the political parties engaging with the 2010 agenda.
What would you like to see Timms doing in the future?
I've only met him once, and heard him speak maybe six times, but I think he's capable of bigger ideas and I'd like to see him coming forward with them. We need a big idea as we plan towards 2010, and I think Timms has thoughts that could be useful to us. I want to see him pushing that more. He's certainly intellectually able enough to take a leading role. If I could sit across a table with him, I'd tell him that he knows there's lots to do and that we must move on from the government's targets for 2005. The job won't be done when that's achieved.
And that new target could be a one gigabit per second connection for anyone who wants it?
Yes.
Where do you feel broadband providers could do better?
We need more clarity about the applications that are possible with broadband services, rather than just talking about raw speeds. Slower broadband services could be labelled as being 'great for email and high-speed Web, not very good for video', and satellite services tagged as 'not good for games' because of the problem with latency.
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