Broadband technology

Developments in telecommunications over the past few years, especially broadband communications, have demonstrated the benefits and efficiencies that such technologies can bring to office occupiers, for example, the faster and more efficient transfer of data and the use of video conferencing. Institutions in the UK have been slow to react to this change in providing services. The growth in the Internet in the late 1990s led to the development of a new market in real estate and telecommunications, as a number of institutions realised the “value added” to be made from providing telecoms services. However, following the downturn in the economy and the consequent fall‐out within the IT and telecoms sector, including the collapse of a number of telecoms providers, the market for providing these services appears to have been reduced. However, despite this, research still continues to demonstrate demand for such services from office occupiers. A recent survey by OFTEL shows that 63 per cent of businesses are connected to the Internet, although a significant proportion of these still use a traditional dial‐up connection, suggesting significant scope for the growth of broadband services. Similarly, a survey of Thames Valley office occupiers has shown that nearly 90 per cent of occupiers consider high‐speed communications to be “important” or “vital” to their business. With this in mind, the paper develops earlier research by the authors to consider the role of developers in the provision of broadband communications. In particular, the research seeks, through interviews with key developers and broadband suppliers active within the Thames Valley office market, to establish what (if anything) they are doing to promote broadband communications within their developments, their vision for the future supply of such services and the benefits arising from providing such services.