London's recovery starts with you

Let's stop talking about 5G and lay out the basic infrastructure for any Londoner to be able to send a message, follow an online tutoring class or apply for a job. During lockdown it turn down that thousands of children couldn't follow their online classes because they don't have internet connection. That's your first objective! Connectivity to everybody and for free. When internet access should free and universal. Basic access: messaging, web search. If anybody wants other things, they should pay for it. But connectivity is fundamental for today's world and every child in this city should have access to it from their homes.

This is a very worthy objective and in recent months has proved essential, as you state above.  However I am not sure how much the Mayor, London Assembly and London Boroughs can do towards achieving it, but neverless good that you support this initiative.

I think that too much emphasis is put on the 'training' perspective - we know that if you give a 3 year old an iPad s/he will find out how to use it in no time, every schoolchild and teenager has a smartphone and computer or access to one, virtually all working adults use PCs either at home, at work or both and as we have learned in the past 6 months, it has taken the overwhelming majority of retired people in their 70s, 80s and 90s no time at all to become experts in sending and receiving emails, using Zoom and ordering groceries online!

I think what we have all realised is there are basic necessities that not everyone has access to or can utilise. The cost of WiFi and/or connection to 5g is expensive. Many devices don't have the capability for 5g, so it's pointless until more devices can utilise it.

I do think it is important that everyone have access to online services.   I don't agree that we need to prepare for 5G, getting complete fibre coverage should be sufficient.  In relation to skills training, perhaps a once a month short class could be provided by councils and staffed by volunteers from the community.   This should cover basic skills for use of digital devices and using the internet.    Any higher level training should be delivered by schools as it currently is. 

It is a good statement but how much of it will make it into reality?

I live in a newly bulit block which fortunately was equipped with one of the latest high speed fibre connections by a fairly small comapny which gives great speeds and reliablity. However, BT seems to think we are stuck in the 20th century and their offering is pitiful. My current connection is 1 Gigabit which is fantastic and enables me to work to the fullest extent. BT's offering for my block is "...a guaranteed 3 megabit connection...! which is near useless for more than basic Internet use with some online meetings but not much else.

Until they are "persuaded" to ensure that, at least newly built i.e. less than 3 years old properties, then much of London is going to be held back in a "digital backwater".

Internet access is as essential as electricity, water or gas, and yet we do not have a main grid where we can automatically get connected to.

Broadband is always slower than promised and the phone line necessity makes it needlessly expensive and uncompetitive with the rest of Europe, whereas optic fibre companies are not allowed to install cables. In most of my work meetings from home I have to switch to a hotspot because the best broadband provider option in my area is too slow. However, if I buy an unlimited 4G data contract, I get throttled if I use it as a hotspot, or even blocked. I think it would be great to ban providers' ability to throttle users on contracts advertised as unlimited.

This is important and needs to be rolled out as son as possible. In terms of training one should be encouraged to use the vast information already available and additional help should only be necessary for the venerable and elderly. 

One should also be encouraged to purchase there own equipment with supplementary issue of maximum value vouchers for those on low income, at no point should equipment be fully funded as one should be encouraged to fund themselves whenever possible. 

i agree with the need to have full fibre coverage but in the main I'd suggest leaving well alone as far as training etc is concerned. If people are working from home then their empoyers will or should be ensuring they have the equipment they need. There are already classes for the elderly in community centres where they can be introduced to and improve their skills with the latest technology and school children are taught IT at school and have access to computers.

There should be some voluntary schemes to help the elderly to get the training and access that they need to access essential services, but beyond that this is something that should be left well alone.  The entire sector has grown and gotten cheaper in spite of the actions of politicians.  Save taxpayers' money and just let the current expansion of technology continue.

I'd like to see a facility for communiy based public access schemes. 5G provides the opportunity. Imagine if a residents' association or perhaps council ward could take  a vote to provision a 5G system for their streets such that if a majority vote for it, they can commission a firm to provide the service and impose the cost, collected through council tax, on the residents of the zone. This would almost certainly cost less and provide more bandwith than the current system. 

Doesn't 5G provide the possiblity of high bandiwth connectivity with relatively sparse fibre connections? I thought you could just attach transmitters to lamp-posts and let them form an adaptive net of their own.

There is already an amazing array of material to build tech skills. On-line courses to suit every taste from youtube to tutored courses. A rich choice of meet ups, many of which are free and open to all. I don't see a need for government intervention here. 

.. Though as I think about it, making meeting places available such as schools after hours could be handy in a few cases.

Better and impartial information on what's available locally could help a little, but again that information is out there for those who care to look.

Very much in favour with increased digital provision. New builds, refurbishments and conversions should be required to include "last mile" digital wiring so that the occupant could then connect painlessly to whichever provider suits his/her needs.