New research has shown that the South West of England could benefit from a £7bn boost and 39,000 new jobs if rural areas had access to excellent digital connectivity.
Virgin Media O2, and Cebr have published new research, 'The Great Rural Revival,' showing that improved rural connectivity could boost the 海角视频 economy by £65.1bn.
The report looked at four sectors central to the 海角视频's rural economy, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and small business, to find that connectivity improvements could boost rural employment by 6.8%, creating an additional 284,000 new jobs nationwide.
Although digital connectivity has improved in rural communities across the 海角视频 there still remains a digital divide, according to the report. It said that this divide between rural and urban communities is preventing remote communities and economies from achieving their growth potential, with "many areas still unable to access reliable connectivity".
Read more: Plymouth's Sutton Harbour Group records losses in latest financial update
The analysis within The Great Rural Revival report shows that across the 海角视频, the South West's local economy could unlock £7bn and benefit from 39,000 new jobs. In the East of England would benefit from most from the digital connectivity upgrades, unlocking a £12bn boost for the local economy and 42,000, while Wales could see a £5bn boost alongside 25,000 jobs.
The review highlights have new technologies such as drone farming and smart livestock monitoring could transform rural economies. Other technologies could be wearable and automated books apps for the hospitality sector. A quarter of businesses surveyed said they would make greater use of technologies such as cashless payments, video calling and conferencing, or online booking if connectivity was improved.
Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2 said “At a time when communities across the 海角视频 are struggling, this new analysis demonstrates how improved rural connectivity could herald a Great Rural Revival. The last decade has seen fixed and mobile networks rolled out to new corners of the 海角视频, and now the transformational potential of connectivity has been made clear with the ability to unlock £65 billion of new growth in rural areas.
Most Read
“Through working closely with industry partners, the 海角视频 Government, planning authorities and landowners, we can deliver the essential network upgrades that will help to bridge the rural-urban connectivity divide, provide faster and more reliable coverage and unlock new jobs and growth in the process.”
As part of the 海角视频 Government’s Shared Rural Network (SRN), Virgin Media O2 has recently further expanded its 4G network to an additional 50 sites across rural communities, bolstering coverage across an area covering almost 2,200km². This includes upgrades at numerous tourist hotspots such as the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides, Kent, East Sussex and Yorkshire, and it has secured planning consent for works at a further 100 sites.
Like this story? Why not sign up to get the latest South West business news straight to your inbox.