Regional Development through ICT

ICT Policy

Ensuring access to the digital information society through regional development strategies is not simply a matter of providing suitable network infrastructure. It requires the integration of available technologies into regional strategic plans that exploit the economic, social and cultural benefits that the proliferation of ICT-based services brings. These strategies need to maximise the real business benefits of ICT and associated technologies for businesses - especially SMEs - and residential end users.

In conjunction with our partners Adroit Economics and Regeneris Consulting , InterConnect Communications can advise and assist government departments, development agencies and local authorities on a range of ICT policy issues, including:

• Regional ICT strategy;
• ICT and inward investment (including flagship developments, sector and cluster growth);
• The economic impact of ICT (e.g. the importance of electronic commerce, the exploitation of the Internet as a business tool and applications that facilitate teleworking) and potential barriers to take-up;
• Global best practice at both policy and technical levels.

Our experience is wide-ranging and includes:

• The creation of both local and regional ICT strategies for regional development authorities mapping current provision, access and take-up of services, identifying gaps against identified best practice benchmarks, advising on ‘intervention options’ to address these and formulating strategic actions to underpin future progress;
• The undertaking of a study into the implications of the availability of telecommunications networks and services on economic regeneration schemes proposed for communities affected by the closure of a major local industry, which included mapping existing levels of provision and assessing the impact of access to advanced ICT services and technology applications by local businesses;
• The preparation of a sub-regional ICT strategy for a regional development authority which involved undertaking general baseline assessment, helping partners define a series of ambitions, aspirations and basic targets, and culminating in the creation of action plans including mechanisms to help flagship regeneration projects – including a city science park – optimise their use of ICTs;
• Advising policymakers on whether a regional network approach to the provision of broadband services was appropriate and would offer the maximum benefits.