BT Openreach chief criticises technology hubs
The government's plan to create a tech hub in the heart of London has come in for criticism from Liv Garfield, the chief executive of BT Openreach.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Ms Garfield argued that the grouping of 700 creative and digital companies at Tech City in east London could lead to other parts of the UK being excluded.
This could potentially harm the country's economic recovery and waste talent in regional areas, she warned.
Instead, the Openreach boss claimed residents and businesses should be able to take advantage of technology such as super-fast broadband wherever they are.
"You have to create something which is not about a hub," Ms Garfield commented.
"I would contest that if you create something where you have to go, it limits how many people you can ever have showing up somewhere."
She cited Cornwall as an example of a rural location where businesses have been able to grow thanks to the availability of fibre optic broadband.
In partnership with the EU and Cornwall Council, BT is rolling out next-generation broadband to at least 80 per cent of properties in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly by the end of 2014.
