IoD December breakfast to examine economic impact of fibre rollout

The IoD Guernsey branch’s December breakfast will examine the economic benefits and digital opportunities for Guernsey following completion of the fibre rollout in 2026.

The event, sponsored by Butterfield, marks the final breakfast seminar for the year. The event will also be live-streamed thanks to the support of the IoD’s Annual Digital sponsor, JT.

Justin Bellinger, Guernsey Chief Executive at Sure, Daragh McDermott, Chief Executive Officer at JT Group, and Yulia Kossykh, Associate Director at Frontier Economics, will discuss fibre broadband’s potential for businesses and consumers, and how it is a key component for economic enablement.

It is expected that 25% of Guernsey homes will have access to fibre by the end of 2022, which marks one year since the project’s launch. The breakfast event, taking place on Friday, 2 December, will identify how improvements to Guernsey’s infrastructure can underpin corporate confidence in the Bailiwick and outline the positive impact it can have on GDP.

Wendy Dorey, Chair of IoD Guernsey, said: “Guernsey’s fibre rollout is an excellent example of a public/ private relationship that can accelerate economic enablement opportunities. We must continue to invest in Guernsey’s infrastructure and connectivity as we look to maintain and improve the island’s productivity and GDP.

“Guernsey’s roll out of fibre will relieve many concerns about the island’s connectivity and give confidence to existing businesses and start-ups that Guernsey is a progressive jurisdiction to operate in. Digital connectivity is a critical part of our island’s brand value.”

IoD committee member and Digital Sub-Committee Lead, James Ede-Golightly, will moderate the panel and there will be time for questions from the audience.

Justin will provide an update on the fibre rollout and what opportunities it will provide for consumers and the business community. Daragh will share his experiences following JT’s fibre rollout in Jersey, and Yulia will highlight examples from other jurisdictions on how to optimise the impact of digital enablement.