The Chancellor of the Exchequer presented her Autumn Budget to Parliament on Wednesday 30 October 2024.
Some of the measures announced that may be of relevance to the telecoms sector include:
- Digital Adoption Taskforce – The SME Digital Adoption Taskforce will be extended and will produce an interim report early in 2025 with practical steps and recommendations to enhance SME adoption of digital technology, using insights from local and international experiences.
- Digital adoption pilots – The Department for Business and Trade will shortly announce details on a £4 million pilots package to encourage tech adoption for SMEs.
- Cross-government Review of Technology Adoption for Growth, Innovation and Productivity – The government will task the government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean, with National Technology Adviser, Dr Dave Smith, to lead a review on barriers to the adoption of transformative technologies that could enhance innovation and productivity, with a focus on the growth-driving sectors identified in the Industrial Strategy green paper. Reinforcing the government’s growth mission, the review’s recommendations will directly inform the development of the industrial strategy and sector plans that will be published alongside Phase 2 of the Spending Review.