Image source: GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0
Public sector policies requiring the use of wireless connectivity need to consider the risks of the ‘always on’ culture and the need for levers that balance supply and demand, according to the Government Office for Science (GOS).
These are among four areas for consideration it highlights in a new report on the issue, titled Wireless 2030, looking at how the public service demand for wireless could change in the future.
It says the demand for ‘always on’ could have ramifications for online safety and population health and wellbeing, and that there are challenges in managing network and digital service resilience, for which any shortcomings will undermine public trust. Subsequently, policy makers will have to take steps to manage the risk.
Scenarios outlined in the report highlight the risk of supply and demand for connectivity falling out of balance and the benefits of getting the balance right. It says the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and other departments should use the scenarios in exploring the supply side infrastructure and demand side policies on digital services to mitigate risks and maximise benefits in different circumstances.
A third consideration is to look at which use cases, such as remote patient monitoring and supporting autonomous vehicles, would be held back by underestimating their demand for connectivity; and a fourth is the need to stimulate demand in the public sector and encourage infrastructure providers.
Five key themes
The report also points to key themes likely to affect the wireless landscape up to 2030: the governance agenda on decisions on infrastructure and ‘experience design’; public perceptions on their interactions through wireless; network design; sustainability and resources; and stores of value.
Writing in the report’s foreword, the Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance says mobile networks are part of critical national infrastructure, and that: “5G, distributed through standalone infrastructure, has wide reaching implications for society, from remote surgical procedures to autonomous private and public transport vehicles. 5G infrastructure will also require significant investment.
“So alongside making such an investment, the UK will also need to assess the potential benefits and risks, identifying the supporting policy that might be needed to maximise the benefits we derive.”
