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BT's roll-out of Super-fast Broadband

BT’S ROLL-OUT OF SUPER-FAST BROADBAND COULD CREATE THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS AND START-UP BUSINESSES IN WALES

BT responsible for more than 9,000 Welsh jobs and spent £217 million with the nation’s suppliers last year

BT’s investment in super-fast broadband in Wales is expected to give the country a massive boost, creating thousands of new jobs and start-up businesses in the next 15 years, a new report reveals today. The report, by Regeneris Consulting, predicts the high-speed technology is capable of contributing hundreds of millions pounds to the nation’s economy.
It will allow existing firms to operate more efficiently and to develop new products and services and make it easier for new businesses to get started through increasing use of innovations, such as ‘cloud computing’.
In the Caerphilly area alone the report predicts that the roll-out of super-fast broadband could give the economy a £143 million* boost through improved business performance, business creation and the benefits of increased home-working. It could also create 225 new jobs and 140 new start-up businesses over that 15-year period.
There is also expected to be a big surge in flexible and home working. The report says that the high-speed technology could result in about 1,000 more homeworkers in Caerphilly.
Anthony O’Sullivan, chief executive of Caerphilly County Borough Council welcomed the roll out of Superfast broadband and said: “This report demonstrates the huge potential that superfast broadband will have in creating an environment in which business can grow and flourish in Caerphilly County Borough. Connectivity has been a key priority for the Council and early adopters of this technology will gain access to a wide variety of new applications.  For the last decade, the Council has put broadband at the heart of their economic strategy and to bringing the economic benefits of high-speed internet technology to businesses and local residents. 
“We recognise that high speed connections underpin the ability of our businesses to engage with internet technologies and compete in an increasingly global marketplace. Our digital inclusion agenda will also benefit from faster connectivity in our communities to provide wider access to online services, training opportunities and social media.”
BT’s £2.5 billion roll-out of super-fast broadband across the UK has already made the technology  available to more than 280,000 Welsh homes and businesses  – and this figure is expected to reach 540,000 by the Spring of next year.
The Regeneris report also examines the wider impact of BT in Wales through direct employment, expenditure with contractors and suppliers and the spending of its employees. It shows that BT last year gave the country a £471 million pound* boost and supported more than 9,000 Welsh jobs through spending with suppliers and the expenditure of its employees.
          The overall beneficial financial impact of BT activities, including the roll-out of super-fast broadband, is expressed as a “Gross Value Added” (GVA)* contribution with last year’s BT GVA figure of £471 million representing one per cent of the nation’s total.
          Ann Beynon, BT’s director for Wales, said: “This report demonstrates the great benefits that BT’s activities, including its major investment in super-fast broadband, are delivering for Wales and will continue to deliver in the years to come.
“BT is playing a vital role in the prosperity and well-being of this nation from the massive economic boost provided by our activities to the 3,000 hours of volunteering activity carried out by BT’s people right across the nation.
“It is vital that we continue to grow and help our customers, stakeholders and employees to thrive as we work together to create a more prosperous Wales.”        
           The ‘Social Study 2012 - The Economic Impact of BT in the United Kingdom’ report analyses the positive contributions made by BT through the salaries and wages of employees and contractors, and the beneficial impact of its procurement and overall expenditure around the UK. 
           The report highlights that BT in Wales –
• is responsible for the employment of more than 3,000 people  – 2,800 direct employees and 259 contractors – with a total income of £100 million;
• provides work for a further 6,000 people through the company’s expenditure with businesses supplying its equipment and services and the spending of its workers;
• spent £217 million with Welsh suppliers last year;
• committed almost £1.4 million to community, charity and voluntary programmes in Wales in 2010/11;
• has enabled about 75 per cent of its employees to work flexibly, with 293 homeworkers – 10 per cent of the workforce.
More than seven million households and businesses across the UK now have access to high speed fibre broadband. BT is expecting to reach 10 million premises in 2012 and two thirds of UK premises by the end of 2014. That involves BT laying more than 50,000km of fibre, enabling over 1,000 exchange areas and installing 30,000 street cabinets.
          In UK terms, BT’s GVA contribution is assessed at more than £17 billion. It supports 274,000 jobs and last year spent £7.6 billion with UK-based suppliers.
BT also invested £684 million in R&D to support innovation in 2010/11, covering everything from scientific research to the development of new products and services working with customers, partners and universities around the world.
             Stephen Nicol, Managing Director of Regeneris Consulting said: “The interesting thing about BT is that it provides a genuinely national impact. It benefits every town or city across the UK. It is also one of the single most important businesses for the UK economy. As a result of its full economic impact, BT supports £1 in every £70 of wealth created in the UK, making it one of the single most important contributions to the UK economy by any firm”.
         The full report is available at www.btsocialstudy.co.uk .

Article from BT.