Published date 3 February 2025

Removing barriers to unlock broadband investment

Bristol stoke park

The new West of England Digital Office, launched today, hopes to help unlock a £1.3 billion annual boost to the region’s economy powered by private investment in better broadband and mobile connectivity – particularly for the 16,000 households in the region still lacking access to superfast connectivity.

The Digital Office is set to be a groundbreaking initiative as one of the very first of its kind in the country, alongside a developing regional ‘Dig Once’ policy to minimise short-term disruption. It will help ensure real benefits for residents across the region, and provide an important service for the telecom industry.

Freyja Lockwood, Digital Innovation & Transformation Programme Manager at the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, said:

“The opening of our new Digital Office is an important further step to attract tens of millions of pounds of further investment into our region, particularly in more rural areas, helping people to work flexibly and stay connected in our modern world.

“Better broadband will mean reliable connections for businesses and residents across the region. Streamlining processes now for businesses will make it easier in the future for residents to stream all of the brilliant film and TV that’s made here in the West of England.

“The new Digital Office will accelerate the deployment of critical infrastructure in the West of England. By addressing common challenges, we can continue to drive innovation and create optimal conditions for broadband projects to be delivered more quickly.”

The Digital Office will serve as a dedicated, single point of entry for the telecom industry and cut red tape to speed up infrastructure improvements in the West of England. It will simplify and standardise processes across council boundaries, remove barriers to investment, and provide specialist advice to ensure project efficiency.

Telecom providers and investors interested in learning more about the tailored support available through the West of England’s Digital Office are encouraged to visit its new website: https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/innovation/data-digital-transformation/digital-connectivity-infrastructure/

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