INSIGHT
Taking a partner-centric
approach
While the country starts
Delivering gigabit connectivity is crucial to the country’s economic success, yet widespread coverage is going
to take a lot of collaboration. Daren Baythorpe, CEO of network operator ITS, explains what is at stake
to open following
the prolonged period
of lockdown, it’s
clear that businesses must
be able to react quickly to
changing conditions in order
to navigate this uctuating
new normal. e recent local
lockdowns in Leicester and
Greater Manchester are painful
reminders that we must learn to
live with COVID-19 for now.
During lockdown, while
we were all asked to stay safe,
stay home, and protect the
NHS. Like many operators, our
business was able to continue
to build full bre. I am very
grateful to our engineers for
putting themselves on the
frontline, while we took all
steps necessary to ensure their
personal safety.
Collaboration with our
partner community was also
vital. Communication has been
key, and still is, to nd out what
challenges they see coming down
the track, what they need from
us, and how we can support
them. At the end of the day, we
are all in this together.
Over the course of the last
18 months, we have increasingly
moved to a wholesale network
approach, expanding our partner
base and product portfolio of
gigabit full bre and hybrid
Daren Baythorpe, CEO of network operator ITS
services. is has continued
during lockdown, when through
a series of webinars, we have
worked together with our
partners to develop the support
and the tools that they need to
help them ride these economic
conditions and meet end-user
demands.
Following the prime
minister’s speech on the
30th June, coined ‘Project
Speed’, when he asked the
country to ‘build, build,
build’ infrastructure; the race
to 100% full bre or gigabit
connectivity has gathered deeper
meaning. Delivering a gigabit
infrastructure across the entire
UK is now a crucial part of
ensuring not only the country’s
economic success in the midterm
post-Brexit, but also our
economic recovery post-COVID
in the short term.
is has put a new lens on
the importance of fast, reliable
connectivity, and we continue
to play our role in this vision by
building our full bre ‘Faster
Britain’ network across the UK.
Our ‘reuse’ approach, delivering
bre through existing ducts and
infrastructure means we can
deploy our Faster Britain builds
at pace – and ultimately connect
our partners’ customers – far
quicker than if starting from
scratch, and also minimises the
disruption created by intrusive,
and often prolonged civils digs.
By working with our
customers and partners,
we are identifying the right
opportunities and locations
to underpin the programme.
Typically, these are areas that
have been overlooked and
underserved.
e government’s ‘outside
in’ approach goes a long way
to providing support for these
harder to reach areas; and while
rural is a big focus, we still
shouldn’t underestimate the scale
of remaining areas of digital
deprivation overlooked in plain
sight in urban areas.
Universal coverage is going
to take a lot of collaboration,
and then some, in our sector
and across sectors. For example,
stronger links between the
telecoms and property sectors to
build connectivity into planning
from the earliest opportunity; as
well as opening up collaboration
with infrastructure owners,
such as utilities, to share and
reuse existing assets. Legislative
change is also very supportive of
wayleave barrier busting.
On a nal note, the success of
the voucher schemes (GBVS and
RGC) have played a huge role in
stimulating demand, helping the
funding get to the right places,
and long may this continue
while we race to 2025.
22 | Road to Full Fibre 2020 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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