Sir Chris Bryant speech at Connected Futures Festival
Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant, gave a speech at the Connected Futures Festival on 26 March 2025.
Hello. My name is Chris Bryant and I바카라 사이트檓 the telecoms minister. I바카라 사이트檓 really sorry I can바카라 사이트檛 be with you. Well, I바카라 사이트檓 here with you virtually, which I suppose is particularly important for the kind of connectivity that we바카라 사이트檙e talking about. But I바카라 사이트檓 afraid that, as you바카라 사이트檙e meeting, I will be in Parliament for the spring statement, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be talking about economic growth and how we get the economy to really springboard into the future.
I suppose that바카라 사이트檚 the key part of what I want to say today, which is that connectivity is a vital part of making sure that the UK economy grows, that everybody gets a chance to participate in our economic future, and that we embrace the technological changes that can make so many differences to people바카라 사이트檚 lives, whether in the delivery of public services or in the delivery of all the services that we rely on, whether it바카라 사이트檚 ordering a pizza, parking your car, or engaging with our local GP and seeing our latest test results.
I know that the geopolitical picture looks uncertain at the moment, and many parts of our lives, of course, are uncertain. Sometimes, trying to predict the future is difficult. That바카라 사이트檚 one of the reasons that, whereas we바카라 사이트檝e always talked about 바카라 사이트渇uture telecoms바카라 사이트� in the past, we바카라 사이트檙e changing the terminology to something which I think suits much better the situation that we face today. And that바카라 사이트檚 why instead of referring to 바카라 사이트渇uture telecoms바카라 사이트�, we바카라 사이트檙e now going to be referring to 바카라 사이트渁dvanced connectivity technologies바카라 사이트�, because advanced optics and satellite communications aren바카라 사이트檛 the ghosts of telecoms futures anymore, but actually telecoms present 바카라 사이트� let바카라 사이트檚 face it! Last year, Aston University transmitted data 4.5 million times faster than the average home broadband connection. We have started to send data through visible light. And Vodafone made the first video call via space last year. I바카라 사이트檓 an MP for a constituency in South Wales in The Valleys, and so I was very happy to see that that call took place from a remote Welsh mountain. The death of 바카라 사이트渘otspots바카라 사이트� may just about be in sight for us all!
The breakthroughs we are seeing mean that the UK could once again be a leader in connectivity over the next ten years, and I바카라 사이트檓 absolutely determined that we take forward those opportunities.
But before I take you into the future, let바카라 사이트檚 just pause briefly in the present. As we shape the next generation of connectivity, we must remember that some people in this country haven바카라 사이트檛 yet got this generation of technological connectivity. There바카라 사이트檚 1.6 million people in the UK who live largely offline. We have to factor them into our future, and our ambition is to have gigabit-capable broadband in every home and in every business, and higher quality 5G to all populated areas by 2030. Through the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, which we바카라 사이트檝e recently launched, we바카라 사이트檒l make sure people also have the devices and skills to be part of a digital future. We want to tackle digital exclusion so that we can take the whole of our country with us. So, deploying the best technology we have today and taking a leading role in shaping the technologies of tomorrow is vital to our economic success.
We will shape them, obviously, with global allies 바카라 사이트� but we will be guided by three central ideas. First of all, do they bring connectivity to everyone, everywhere, whatever your circumstances? Secondly, do they have security and resilience built in from the start? And thirdly, are they built sustainably, so that better connectivity gets us closer to net zero and not further away? These are all equally important, fundamental principles and ideas behind what we바카라 사이트檙e trying to achieve in this area.
The UK has the potential to be at the forefront as we develop these technologies. For a start, we build on research from some of the best universities in the world, and the JOINER research and innovation platform gives them a unique test network to prepare for 6G. British firms are getting connectivity to places it hasn바카라 사이트檛 gone before, like trains, offshore wind farms and space. BT, who nearly two centuries ago set up the world바카라 사이트檚 first nationwide communications network, are now leading the way with Toshiba in trials of quantum secure comms. And global companies like Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung have all chosen to do R&D work here in this country, in the United Kingdom.
We will shape them, obviously, with global allies 바카라 사이트� but we will be guided by three central ideas. First of all, do they bring connectivity to everyone, everywhere, whatever your circumstances? Secondly, do they have security and resilience built in from the start? And thirdly, are they built sustainably, so better connectivity gets us closer to net zero and not further away? These are all equally important, fundamental principles and ideas behind what we바카라 사이트檙e trying to achieve in this area.
The UK has the potential to be at the forefront as we develop these technologies. For a start, we build on research from some of the best universities in the world, and the JOINER research and innovation platform gives them a unique test network to prepare for 6G. British firms are getting connectivity to places it hasn바카라 사이트檛 gone before, like trains, offshore wind farms and space. BT, who nearly two centuries ago set up the world바카라 사이트檚 first nationwide communications network, are now leading the way with Toshiba in trials of quantum secure comms. And global companies like Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung have all chosen to do R&D work here in this country, in the United Kingdom.
We can and should go further, though, making the UK a global leader in advanced connectivity. And that바카라 사이트檚 where the government and industry really must work hand-in-hand. We will strengthen our supply chains 바카라 사이트� that바카라 사이트檚 really important. Today we will publish the government바카라 사이트檚 response to the report from the Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council, outlining how we will support a thriving ecosystem of suppliers for our networks. I바카라 사이트檓 immensely grateful to all those who took part in the Council바카라 사이트檚 work.
We will back your growth in this sector. Advanced connectivity will be one of the growth markets in our Industrial Strategy within the digital and technology sector. That means the backing across Whitehall to help you succeed. As a sign of that commitment, today I can announce that we will invest nearly 拢60 million over the next year, 2025 to 2026, to support UK leadership in R&D so that more of the technology providing the world바카라 사이트檚 critical connectivity is developed here in the UK.
If we get this right, then ten years down the line we will be able to say that this technology has made people바카라 사이트檚 daily lives better, put more money in people바카라 사이트檚 pockets and helps to keep the UK and our allies safe in a turbulent world. That바카라 사이트檚 a connected future we can only build together.
Thank you and I hope you have a good conference today.