Digital Region

The Digital Region network can help to broaden the reach of public sector services to rural communities and isolated individuals.

• Accessible services for all - the elderly, those with special needs and those living on the fringes of society are often excluded from services because of lack of access for different reasons – e.g. remoteness, lack of transport, immobility. A 24x7 communication network which has the facility for realtime online services with video-streaming can keep people in touch with services they would not ordinarily be able to reach
• Efficiencies and cost-savings – in these tough economic times, there is the continued pressure to deliver more services for less money. A network which enables teleworking, cutting down on travel costs and time goes some way in cutting costs whilst improving service standards of speed, accessibility and convenience
• Telemedicine and social services – high definition video streaming is a technology enabled by the network and just one example of what is available for improving public services – for example telemedicine where clients around the region can access expert medical advice from their home. Technology such as this gives the region the opportunity to be at the cutting edge of how public services are delivered
• Online learning and virtual classrooms – Superfast bandwidth can enable people to study online with even better facilities – e.g. virtual classrooms, where students can be linked in from home or college to classrooms and lecture-halls in other locations. Also collaborative working and personal tutoring is made possible online through high quality interactive video conferencing. Education and training will be even more accessible to all

(Note: these services will be made available by service providers not directly by Digital Region).