Written by Andrew Wooden
UK operator VMO2 says building out ‘excellent’ digital connectivity in rural areas will generate lots of cash and jobs, particularly for manufacturing.
Drafting in the Cebr for some economic modelling and Opinium for survey muscle, the operator says improving rural connectivity could boost the UK economy by £65.1 billion and increase employment by 6.8%. Of the four major economic sectors analysed manufacturing could expect to receive the greatest benefit with turnover boosted by 7%, generating £8.8 billion to the economy.
The release says many factories are located away from cities and urban areas, and that ‘recent output data shows the sector has been struggling due to the UK’s persistent productivity challenge’, with the majority of manufacturers saying they expect economic conditions in the UK to either significantly or moderately deteriorate.
Technology has the answer to some of this, claims VMO2, such as enabling automation to reduce human error and machine failure, or introducing wearable technology that improves safety and effectiveness. These require high-quality connectivity we’re told, which is ‘something that’s historically not been as available in rural areas.’
Around one in six rural manufacturing business decision makers surveyed said they would make greater use of technologies such as remote stock checking, inventory management and fleet management technology, but these must be underpinned by connectivity that allows teams to access inventory and fleet management data in real-time in order to act on these insights and optimise their operations.
