The report fails to address the role of WiFi and related technologies, and to provide a framework for the availability of increased unlicensed spectrum and licensed spectrum with the capacity to provide ultra fast mobile internet services.  WiFi today provides simple, fast, wireless broadband and open internet experience to millions of WiFi enabled devices across the UK.  Millions of WiFi networks utilizing unlicensed spectrum are creating a high speed mobile internet access network across Britain.  Given internet access by citizens in Britain during the course of the next 5 to 10 years will be fulfilled through handheld and mobile devices, it is crucial the Digital Britain report provides a strategy that will enable the broadest possible availability of ultra fast mobile internet access at the lowest cost, and supporting a dynamic digital economy and environment.

The Digital Britain interim report fails to discuss the benefits of blending technologies like WiFi and 3G or 4G together. Whilst there are clear benefits to spectrum re-farming and the availability of additional spectrum at 2.6GHz and through the digital dividend process, the report fails to address the scale of broadband demand that will be fulfilled through wireless.  With mobile internet users today increasing their mobile data capacity demand at between 3 and 5 fold per annum, 3G and emergent 4G technologies provide insufficient capacity to service this demand – which will be almost 100 times greater per mobile internet user in Britain by 2015 than it is today.

The report sets the objective of ensuring a viable commercial model for mobile network operators.  This goal will be impossible to achieve with operators required to undertake very large capital investments in one technology in an attempt to keep up with mobile internet speed demands.  A solution is to utilize WiFi and similar short range, high speed wireless broadband technologies in combination with the ubiquity capabilities offered by 3G and 4G technologies.  An ultrafast mobile internet environment can be created by blending 3G, 4G and WiFi technologies, and by undertaking initiatives to stimulate and support the creation of high speed wireless broadband WiFi networks across Britain.

The current success of the Apple iPhone provides a proof point for this model, with the device defaulting to WiFi for internet access and, if WiFi is not available, to seeking out 3G coverage.  The result is a high speed experience and a cost efficient network.

Market forecasts indicate approaching 70% of all internet traffic will incorporate video or video clips by 2012 – as of today WiFi is the only available technology to effectively deliver high quality streamed video over the internet to mobile devices.  Britains citizens will expect to benefit from and be able to apply a multimedia mobile internet, and it is therefore crucial that the right strategies are applied to see its creation in Britain.  Britain will fail in its ambitions if these issues are unaddressed.