The managing director of TalkTalk Business has urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to prioritise the North in his levelling up agenda, saying communities in cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle must be first in line for digital investment.
Jonathan Kini was speaking at the Great Northern Conference on Thursday about the importance of investment in digital infrastructure following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Kini said that the PM, who also appeared at the virtual event on Thursday, must launch an affordability assessment to ensure the new economic reality faced by many is factored into any calculations around broadband prices, with Ofcom currently proposing to raise prices next year.
He said if that doesn't happen, businesses and the public sector will be hit "particularly hard", and any talk from the Government around levelling up will be "nothing but a slogan".
He told delegates: "Sometimes I’m asked what makes digital infrastructure a 'northern' issue. It’s clearly not just a northern issue – but it’s a unique example of an infrastructure project which is starting from the ground up.
"There is a prize to be won in being the region to roll-out quickly and northern cities and towns should look to capitalise on this chance to end the digital divide.
"If levelling up is to mean anything – it means believing that communities across the north should be first in line for investment, not third or fourth. That’s the chance we have now – that’s what our ambition at TalkTalk is, and we want to work with different organisations and businesses to make it a reality."
He also spoke about how broadband connections and new ways of working have a "big role" to play in the UK's response to the Covid pandemic - particularly across the North, with the move to work from home "here to stay".
"There is a huge amount of uncertainty facing communities across the North, and we are already seeing unemployment rise across the country.
"At TalkTalk we are convinced that digital will be at the heart of the economic recovery. Harnessing digital and online opportunities will help society and the economy respond to the challenges presented by coronavirus.
"We’ve seen this before - following the 2008 crash, digital businesses grew faster than the rest of the economy and spearheaded much of the recovery. By 2018, growth in the digital sector was three times that of the economy as a whole.
"This is despite the UK’s digital infrastructure trailing our international competitors.
"At present, we are still reliant on the old copper telephone network – built by the Victorians for the early telephone service, but not fit for a 21 century economy based on data and connections, as is increasingly clear with every day as we try to manage to use Zoom, Netflix and Fortnite.
"New full fibre networks need to be rolled out to all parts of the country so that we can compete internationally, and spread opportunity fairly across the country.
"This is the enabling infrastructure that will help the economy and society adjust to the needs of the future. It will support the development of new technologies such as smart cities."
