Technology is part of our everyday lives. Not just in the way we communicate with each other, but in every aspect of our health and wellbeing. So integral, in fact, that the digital divide is becoming more apparent. The larger the divide, the larger the social inequalities – in everything from employment and mental health, to housing and finance.

According to the 2017 Consumer Digital Index, more than 3.1 million people in the UK lack basic digital skills. Of these, more than 63% are social housing tenants. Basic skills include the ability to use a search engine, complete online forms and manage money.

Local authorities and social housing organisations are already responding to this issue by increasingly doing more to shape policy and provide opportunities for people to learn new skills. However, there is still the fundamental issue of access – access to affordable, reliable, fast internet connection in the first place.

Not surprisingly, poor infrastructure and connectivity have been identified as the two main barriers to digital inclusion. Given social housing is the main tenure to fall short in this area, now is the time for local authorities to look at innovative – and cost-effective – ways to meet this need.

At Grain – a joint venture by Pinnacle Group – we are responding to this issue by turning to local authorities in a bid to offer better, faster, cheaper solutions – for both new and existing developments. Given Pinnacle is already working in and amongst social housing estates across the country, we are actively pursuing partnerships with councils to work even closer to bridge the digital divide, offering solutions to allow residents to actively participate in society and increase their skills at the same time.

Given a large proportion of social housing estates in the UK are older developments, there is often the issue of navigating outdated infrastructure only to find that it simply does not support new technology. Sometimes, to connect residents to reliable broadband, the only option is to retrofit the foundations. Retrofitting is a bit more complex, however is certainly possible and perhaps less intrusive than you might think – sometimes taking just a few months.

Because we are smaller than some of the other national providers, we can tailor solutions and be more agile to meet the needs of mix-tenure developments. We also absorb the cost associated with designing, integrating, installing and operating our full fibre network.

It is a very exciting time – not just in regards to accessing internet speeds barely seen in this country, but in making it easier, cheaper, faster for everyone – regardless of your housing tenure – to be a part of this transformation, bridging the digital divide once and for all.

www.grainconnect.com