Levelling Up - Digital, rural and economic recovery
Post Covid-19, will rural areas benefit from a Digital Economic Recovery?
Innovation coldspots in rural areas are not where you would expect digital revolutions. The question is whether this can continue utilising smarter systems thinking at the heart of this change. Rural areas need to participate in this “digital economic recovery” and create new, higher GVA, technology related jobs.
Dis-connected rural?
Pre Covid-19, there was acceptance that living rurally meant poor mobile phone signal and basic broadband availability. For a few, this lack of connectivity may be attractive. However, when you combine this with other daily countryside challenges such as little public transport, fewer education options, and reduced health services, this can contribute to lower standards of living, and the feeling of being 'left behind' when compared to the programmes of city-centric 'smart' investment.
Digital Infrastructure in rural – broadband and mobile
Progress is being made to improve coverage – Shropshire now having 94% Superfast Broadband coverage in 2020 compared to 24% in 2013, and is working towards a total broadband solution by 2023 (Connecting Shropshire, 2020). Attracting alternative, smaller broadband providers and combining with other technologies such as fixed wireless access points (FWA), masts can be used in remote locations where a wired connection is just not viable, although it will still not work for all. (https://www.airband.co.uk/what-is-fixed-wireless-broadband/)
4G coverage has also improved but is still only 59% indoor in Shropshire, compared with 80% nationally (Ofcom, 2020). Outdoor, however is 89%, although through the Shared Rural Network this should reach 95% by 2026, and provide more consumer choice (www.mobileuk.org).
5G testbeds are being rolled out nationally and Shropshire is part of a West Mercia bid for health and social care, although still in the early stages. (https://uk5g.org/discover/testbeds-and-trials/west-mercia-rural-5g/)
Socioeconomic divide caused by digital
As the digital infrastructure marketplace is driven by cost and demand, this has created socioeconomic wedges between rural and semi-rural within the same county. Growth and investment typically is delivered to those sites which offer these factors - leaving the rest of the county behind.
In Shropshire, this lack of demand for digital is both at an economic and demographic level. And, the low to medium levels of “digital intensity” in key employment sectors includes agriculture, food & drink, adult social care, manufacturing, public sector and tourism, (Calvino, et al 2018, https://www.oecd.org/going-digital/mdt-roadmap-digital-intensity-of-sectors.pdf) produces 25% less GVA per person in Shropshire compared to other parts of the UK, (https://shropshire.gov.uk/media/9204/shropshire-gva-headlines-january-2018.pdf).
Local demographic factors also impact demand for digital infrastructure – 24% of Shropshire’s population is over 65 which is 6% higher than England (Shropshire CCG, 2019). Age UK (2018) suggests that of over 65’s, 36% will be offline, lapsed or have never used technologies.
So where are the “leapfrog” opportunities for rural areas?
Exploring the concept of digital connectivity in rural areas, CREST@UCS presented – “Smart Rural 3 - Digital Connectivity for Productivity” – (www.crestatucs.com) webinar series during lockdown. This brought together a range of speakers and covered infrastructure requirements and delivery, principles of smart cities v smart rural, sectoral innovations, mobility and transport and 5G.
Key findings from the webinar series:
Innovation and investment must move away from semi-rural and urban and be spread more equally across the rural areas.
Rural hubs could provide space for education, business, community services and innovation start up in one space, accessible to all – (see Midlands Connect in their Future of Rural Mobility Study)
Lack of awareness of connectivity choice by consumers is an issue which is consolidating market share of larger broadband providers when lower cost alternative technologies may be fit for purpose.
Digital infrastructure programmes are funded in silo’s rather than as a place based approach.
Next steps for Smart Rural in Shropshire?
Covid-19 has brought digital connectivity to the forefront, acting as a personal and productivity cornerstone which underpins so many aspects of home and work life during lockdown; remote working using cloud based systems, shopping, health advice, TV, socialising. Older generations have learnt to order food online, banking or take part in a video call.
When you consider that some households and businesses will continue to not have digital connectivity/ coverage until 2023 for broadband or 2026 for mobile - these individuals already have less choice or opportunities than other well connected households and businesses. It also blocks access to the new digital services and technologies planned to support rural systems such as IOT, web based services and demand responsive transport to name a few – all key enablers for improved productivity. It will be interesting to understand whether 5G can improve this situation.
CREST@UCS will be hosting Smart Rural 4 – Transport and Mobility for Rural Areas online in November 2020 – email [email protected] for further info.
CREST@UCS is a £1.2million European Regional Development Funded (ERDF) project set up in partnership with University Centre Reaseheath. CREST offers support to SMEs who want to reduce their environmental impact or develop new products or services.
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