PhoneAbility

1. Chairman's Introduction

TONY SHIPLEY - Vice Chairman PhoneAbility

I just wanted to say a few words on behalf of PhoneAbility who have organised this seminar, with considerable encouragement and assistance from the DTI.

PhoneAbility is a UK registered charity and our objective is to promote accessible telecommunications for people who are disabled or who are elderly. We are the reference group within the UK for the COST 219 project, which is the European Union sponsored project which has precisely the same objectives.

So, what do we make of broadband? We have all heard a lot about it. We have heard about the Superhighway, the key to the future in the Information Society, a whole new way of communicating and of doing things. But what will it mean in practice? We shall try today to look at immediate realities rather than distant possibilities, because broadband is on offer now. PhoneAbility takes the view, very clearly, that disabled and elderly people are not fearful of information technology, but they are, through custom or through necessity, cautious about buying into it.

We are talking of discriminating consumers who want to make informed choices, who will buy for sound reasons and not just to follow a trendy fashion. We understand that business users, whose work involves shifting large amounts of data, need broadband. We can see its advantages to those consumers who regularly download music and video tracks, lengthy documents, or who just spend hours downloading music and playing games on the Internet. But for those of us who are just occasionally frustrated by the time it takes to download a document with a dial-up connection, should we buy now or should we wait? And if we do wait, will the technology have been shaped by other factors so that issues of accessibility become overlooked?

It's very easy for a fast-moving technology to create difficulties for disabled users where none existed before. If those difficulties are recognised in time and suitable adjustments made, then new services will be accessible and inclusive as they are rolled out. Otherwise, modifications have to be introduced afterwards to avoid exclusion -- retro-fits, if you like -- and these can be clumsy and expensive. It is better to get it right from the start.

Recent months have seen a dramatic change in the availability of broadband. Earlier this year, at least where I live, the key question was, "How do I get it?" Now BT is well advanced with ambitious plans to reach I think 97% of the population with ADSL capability and third-generation mobile is bringing broadband to the mobile network. You cannot open a newspaper or dial up the Internet without being treated to a host of offers to deliver broadband services. Prices have tumbled and will no doubt go on tumbling.

So buy now or wait? It seems churlish to hesitate, but what would one do with all that data? Let us find out from today's speakers. While we do so, I would ask you to keep this thought in mind. Inevitably, the shape of service development will be strongly influenced by the consumer pull from those who got in first. It must be in the best interests of disabled and elderly people to become active users sooner rather than later. Since there are an awful lot of us, it must be in the interests of service providers to seize the market opportunity that is waiting for them.

I am going to hand over to Stephen Speed from the Department of Trade and Industry, and in doing so I want to thank him and the DTI, on behalf of PhoneAbility, for providing us with facilities for this meeting, and the support and encouragement to organise it.

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