Memorandum submitted by EURespond
RURAL POVERTY OF ACCESS IN SCOTLAND: THE
"DIGITAL DIVIDE"
INTRODUCTION
Poverty in Scotland is a product of multiple
factors including socio-economic, geographic as well as historic
influences. Recent strategies and plans focussing on poverty eradication
have sought to address the issue from the perspective of enabling
the Scottish people to help themselves. One key means of such
self-help and consequently reduced poverty is accessibility to
means of communications. But the latest figures show that only
half of all adults have private access to the Internet.
RURAL POVERTY
OF ACCESS
Scotland includes large areas where population
is sparse and widely distributed. The Highlands and Islands regions
especially suffer from lack of adequate means of communication,
creating a wide digital divide. This leads to rolling adverse
effects on employment opportunities, lack of access to basic amenities
and services, social exclusion and lack of acceptable standards
of living. E-Inclusion, and bridging the digital divide therefore,
are high priority issues of the Scottish Executive.
A clear and unidirectional relationship exists
between access to telecommunications services and poverty eradication.
A recent study conducted by BBC's Newsnight on the impact of mobile
phones across Africa showed how economic and social activity in
the small town of Matatu in Kenya has been revolutionised by mobile
phones.[110]
Economic and social importance of access to affordable and reliable
broadband has been identified by many sources as a method of promoting
general economic interest for both business and residents alike.
Digital inclusion fosters social inclusion in the knowledge and
information society, opening avenues and possibilities for the
population that would otherwise be unavailable. Digital inclusion
and broadband penetration are generally absent in areas where
investment is not forthcoming from conventional terrestrial service
providers. Even where terrestrial network upgrades lead to provision
of DSL broadband, service is affected by poor quality lines and
distance from exchange.[111]
Technological requirements of communities in
remote rural areas, where population is distributed over vast
landmasses, are a product of their geographical location. The
overall population density for the Highlands is 8 people per square
kilometre, in comparison with 66 across Scotland as a whole. 37%
of the population live in Remote Rural data zones while 26% live
in Super Sparse areas.[112]
Many are not reached by land lines. Where they have them, according
to BT estimated figures, up to 32,500 lines are unable to receive
a basic 512kbps DSL broadband service.[113]
These areas suffer from lack of access to resources compounding
the multi-dimensional character of remote rural poverty, and making
up disproportionately more than the 49% of adults and 52% of households
who don't have Internet access.[114]
Others rely on mobile phones with patchy reception.
BENEFITS OF
DIGITAL INCLUSION
Rural broadband could provide multiple benefits
leading to better quality of life. These benefits include:
Tele-working
Commuting to work is widely understood to be
one of the biggest issues concerning employability in remote Scotland.
Working from home is often a convenient and practical alternative,
allowing for greater economic growth of both businesses and individuals.
Tele-medicine
Elderly members of society require more medical
attention and monitoring. Mobile medical databases can be used
for timely medical responses given the correct communications
infrastructure.
Access to essential services
Digitising society enables easy access to essential
services such as banking and financial advice, enabling greater
self-reliance and flexibility of operations, especially as rural
banks and post offices continue to be closed.
Access to timely information
Remote rural areas are also regions that are
susceptible to natural disasters, the damage caused by which can
be minimised by systems that enable early warning to be provided
to residents of the areas.
Greater social inclusion
Bridging the digital divide leads to reduction
in rural isolation and greater integration of population with
mainstream.
However, conventional means of digital inclusion
through the wired local loop are incapable of addressing the specific
needs of all of this target population. Rules for the allocation
of spectrum to facilitate the provision of satellite telephony
for all are currently being considered by the European Union.
THE CASE
FOR MOBILE
SATELLITE SYSTEMS
WITH COMPLEMENTARY
GROUND COMPONENTS
The alternative to wired broadband is wireless
broadband, which comes in a number of forms. Advances in technology
have enabled the integration of terrestrial and satellite systems
to provide an integrated, interoperable, seamless and ubiquitous
Mobile Satellite System with Complementary Ground Component (MSS/CGC).
MSS/CGC combines the benefits of satellite systems (high levels
of coverage, disaster resilience, possibility of lower roaming
charges) with conventional advantages of terrestrial systems (small,
user-friendly handsets, indoor and in-building coverage). In addition,
the technology incorporates interoperability, from a common user
terminal, with other conventional telecommunications applications
such as TETRA, making it ideal for Public Protection and Disaster
Relief purposes.
Mobile satellite services, including voice,
data, video, GPS and other applications, have demonstrated their
flexibility in serving remote areas and in extreme environments.
These systems are not location-dependent and can be used where
terrestrial networks are unavailable. Mobile satellite services
that add a Complementary Ground Component combine the best features
of both technologies enabling instant and seamless transition
between satellite and terrestrial wireless networks and reusing
frequencies.
Using MSS/CGC technology, a mobile terminal
communicates with a satellite when out of terrestrial network
range, when both the satellite and the terrestrial network are
in range, the terminal automatically links with the stronger signal.
For mobile communications, the user experiences seamless, un-interrupted
communications transitioning between the satellite and terrestrial
coverage. CGC and inter-operability with Land Mobile Radio systems
ensures networks can also be extended underground to enable communications
inside structures, buildings, and transportation tunnels.
Primary characteristics of an MSS/CGC network
include:
— Interoperability with existing European
standards and TETRA interfaces.
— Multiple levels of security insure
secure communications.
— Flexible definition user groups allow
for frequently changing response teams.
— Allowance of available bandwidth
to be re-directed from one spot beam to another, enabling expanded
capacity in periods of high-traffic.
— Different service levels, by prioritisation,
ensure spectrum availability for high-priority groups such as
disaster relief teams on a relief operation.
— SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
architecture for access to information databases remotely throughout
the coverage area of the network.
— Database accessibility from multiple
terminals for varied purposes—from small hand-held devices
to vehicle-mounted terminals.
— In-built two-way redundancy allows
for the satellite component to be operational in the event of
damage to the terrestrial segment.
— Spare battery pack and solar charger
cover the eventuality of power failures that impact other communications
systems.
— Operation in the 2 GHz band, which
is highly compatible to existing terrestrial UMTS networks.
— Underground operations possible with
a fully deployed terrestrial component.
CONCLUSION
Mobile satellite systems with Complementary
Ground Component are well placed to serve the policy objectives
of remote rural broadband penetration and provision of resilient
public protection communications systems. It is imperative that
the value of these systems be recognised for public good in Scotland,
and they then be deployed across Europe for the fulfilment of
broad pan-European, national and local government policy objectives.
EURespond UK
Campaign for resilient communications
13 February 2007
110 Mason, Paul-From Matatu to Masai via mobile,
BBC Newsnight, January 2007. Back
111
A study points out that "the main measure of availability
is the length of the line as the ADSL signal is attenuated with
length until it becomes unworkable"-Scottish Executive, A
Study into Broadband Reach into Scotland, December 2006. Back
112
The Highland Council's submission to Scottish Affairs Select
Committee on Poverty in Scotland Inquiry, October 2006. Back
113
Scottish Executive, A Study into Broadband Reach into Scotland,
October 2006. Back
114
Scottish Household Survey, Scotland's People: Annual Report,
2005. Back
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