Westminster Forum Projects

Arqiva is a leading UK communications infrastructure company enabling a vibrant digital economy. We are behind the scenes and central to millions of vital connections. We are pioneers in an always on, always connected world.

Every day our infrastructure and associated services enable millions of people and machines to connect wherever they are through TV, radio, mobile and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We are an independent provider of telecom towers, with around 8,000 active licensed sites, and the only national provider of terrestrial television and radio broadcasting.

Our technology enables us to work with everyone from mobile network operators, such as BT-EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three to independent radio groups and major broadcasters, such as the BBC, ITV, Sky, Turner and CANAL+ to utility companies such as Thames Water.

We provide digital and satellite services and distribution for international clients in Europe, the U.S., the Far East and Australia, including Turner and Canal+ and the Al Jazeera Network.

At Arqiva, we are investing to ensure that the UK has the communications infrastructure it needs to thrive in an increasingly connected world. From carrying the BBC’s first television broadcast in 1936 to launching the UK’s national DAB radio and digital terrestrial television networks in the 2000s, we strive to continuously find ingenious and smarter ways to support our customers.

The BBC's mission has remained the same for almost 100 years; to enrich people’s lives with great programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain. Its vision is to be the most creative, trusted organisation in the world.

The BBC provides a wide range of distinctive programmes and services for everyone, free of commercial interests and political bias. They include television, radio, national, local, childrens’, educational, language and other services for key groups. The BBC also runs orchestras, actively develops new talent, and supports training and production skills for the British broadcasting, music, drama and film industries.

BBC services are used by 91% of UK adults each week and BBC News is the source people are most likely to turn to for news they trust and for impartial, accurate coverage.

The Corporation is funded through a television licence fee and 95% of it's controllable spend is focused on content and delivery with just 5% spent on running the organisation.

The current Royal Charter, which started on 1st January 2017 sets out five purposes for the BBC. They are:

• To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.
• To support learning for people of all ages.
• To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services.
• To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom.
• - To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world.

The BBC word mark and logo are trade marks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence. BBC logo © BBC 1996

BT is one of the world’s leading communications companies. We provide the essential backbone for fixed telephone services, mobile network operators and much of the UK’s terrestrial TV distribution.

BT is organised into a number of separate businesses:-

• BT Retail – provides services to small and medium sized businesses and to residential customers. It also runs the UK’s largest internet business as well as BT Vision – BT’s on-demand internet television service. It provides around 19 million fixed and 5 million broadband lines.
• BT Wholesale - supports the UK’s fixed and mobile communications industry with a range of products and managed services including, for example, major network capacity to the UK’s mobile companies, the transmission capacity for much of the UK television network, and ‘white label’ broadband, fixed line and other services for some of the biggest names in the competitive UK market. It also manages other operators’ networks on their behalf on an outsource basis.
• BT Global Services – provides services to large businesses, to multi-site organisations in the UK and across the world, and operates in over 170 countries worldwide.
• Openreach - looks after the ‘first mile’ of network, from the exchange through to homes and businesses. Its customers are not end users but the companies who supply their telecommunications services to them. It treats all its customers on an equal basis and thus provides the essential ingredients for the vibrant, competitive retail market in the UK. Is also the engine for BT’s extensive fibre rollout programme.
• BT Innovate and Design - is responsible for BT's research and innovation – with BT being a top investor in R&D.

• The UK has the world’s most competitive communications market in the world, with unrivalled broadband availability, take-up and prices.
• BT invests billions of pounds each year in infrastructure to boost productivity, create jobs, bring communities together and enrich peoples’ lives.
• Telecoms prices in the UK are down in real terms by 54% since 1990.
• More than 60% of UK homes now have broadband – up from 12% in 2003 and a higher rate than Italy, Spain, Germany, France and the USA.
• We are investing £1.5bn in providing fibre-based services to up to 10m homes by 2012 (40% UK households). Assuming an acceptable environment for investment, we plan to add a further £1bn by 2015, taking coverage to around 66% of the UK.

• Competition is better than regulation for protecting the interests of customers.
• Where there is regulation, it should promote competition.
• Markets worldwide should be open, with state authorities acting to promote competition, encourage innovation and challenge vested interests.
• Financial and social stability will be underpinned by sustainable digital economies.
• Investment in the communications infrastructures of such economies requires regulatory stability, technological neutrality, and appropriate financial rewards.

CityFibre is the UK’s leading alternative provider of full fibre broadband infrastructure, with wholesale open-access full fibre networks in over 50 towns across the UK, delivering reliable, gigabit-capable full fibre connections to consumers in the public sector, business community, mobile operators and residential markets.

Full fibre connectivity is revered for its gigabit speeds, near unlimited bandwidth and consistent reliability. CityFibre is making significant investments in towns and cities across the UK as we look to rapidly expand the number of homes and businesses which have access to full fibre.

As part of our £2.5 billion investment programme, we are bringing full fibre to one million UK homes and businesses by 2021 and 5 million by 2025 - leading the drive to build the digital infrastructure needed to support the UK’s communities, businesses and wider economy.

KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership operates from 22 offices across the UK with over 16,000 professionals led by 630 partners. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax, and Advisory services. We operate in 148 countries and have more than 200,000 professionals working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International, a Swiss cooperative.

Within KPMG’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice we focus on the most pressing issues faced by our sector clients in this period of unprecedented change. The mass-adoption of over-the-top (OTT) video platforms is sending shockwaves through the television and film business. Social media and online search continue to take revenues away from traditional ad-funded media. News and information publishers seek to diversify through digital subscriptions, e-commerce and live events. Mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships are becoming more prominent by the day as market participants seek to gain scale and acquire complementary capabilities.

The upcoming launch of 5G networks and accompanying gigabit wireless speeds and ultra-low latency promises further redefinition of the boundaries between linear, online and live entertainment. Cloud gaming and e-sports, IOT-enabled devices, AR/VR applications, HD mobile video are just some of the emerging services and use cases that will compete for consumers’ attention and share of wallet. Media executives are striving to develop sustainable business models balancing short term financial goals with long term ambitions.

KPMG has a 360-understanding of these hot issues and the specific threats faced by each of the media segments – television and radio broadcasting, advertising, music, film and news publishing. Our collaborative approach across key international hubs such as London, Silicon Valley, New York, Shanghai and Tel Aviv brings to our clients a powerful lens and repository of insights to help tackle the strategic and operational challenges ahead.

KPMG International’s Trademarks are the sole property of KPMG International and their use here does not imply auditing by or endorsement of KPMG International or any of its member firms

Arqiva is a leading UK communications infrastructure company enabling a vibrant digital economy. We are behind the scenes and central to millions of vital connections. We are pioneers in an always on, always connected world.

Every day our infrastructure and associated services enable millions of people and machines to connect wherever they are through TV, radio, mobile and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We are an independent provider of telecom towers, with around 8,000 active licensed sites, and the only national provider of terrestrial television and radio broadcasting.

Our technology enables us to work with everyone from mobile network operators, such as BT-EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three to independent radio groups and major broadcasters, such as the BBC, ITV, Sky, Turner and CANAL+ to utility companies such as Thames Water.

We provide digital and satellite services and distribution for international clients in Europe, the U.S., the Far East and Australia, including Turner and Canal+ and the Al Jazeera Network.

At Arqiva, we are investing to ensure that the UK has the communications infrastructure it needs to thrive in an increasingly connected world. From carrying the BBC’s first television broadcast in 1936 to launching the UK’s national DAB radio and digital terrestrial television networks in the 2000s, we strive to continuously find ingenious and smarter ways to support our customers.

The BBC's mission has remained the same for almost 100 years; to enrich people’s lives with great programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain. Its vision is to be the most creative, trusted organisation in the world.

The BBC provides a wide range of distinctive programmes and services for everyone, free of commercial interests and political bias. They include television, radio, national, local, childrens’, educational, language and other services for key groups. The BBC also runs orchestras, actively develops new talent, and supports training and production skills for the British broadcasting, music, drama and film industries.

BBC services are used by 91% of UK adults each week and BBC News is the source people are most likely to turn to for news they trust and for impartial, accurate coverage.

The Corporation is funded through a television licence fee and 95% of it's controllable spend is focused on content and delivery with just 5% spent on running the organisation.

The current Royal Charter, which started on 1st January 2017 sets out five purposes for the BBC. They are:

• To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.
• To support learning for people of all ages.
• To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services.
• To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom.
• - To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world.

The BBC word mark and logo are trade marks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence. BBC logo © BBC 1996

BT is one of the world’s leading communications companies. We provide the essential backbone for fixed telephone services, mobile network operators and much of the UK’s terrestrial TV distribution.

BT is organised into a number of separate businesses:-

• BT Retail – provides services to small and medium sized businesses and to residential customers. It also runs the UK’s largest internet business as well as BT Vision – BT’s on-demand internet television service. It provides around 19 million fixed and 5 million broadband lines.
• BT Wholesale - supports the UK’s fixed and mobile communications industry with a range of products and managed services including, for example, major network capacity to the UK’s mobile companies, the transmission capacity for much of the UK television network, and ‘white label’ broadband, fixed line and other services for some of the biggest names in the competitive UK market. It also manages other operators’ networks on their behalf on an outsource basis.
• BT Global Services – provides services to large businesses, to multi-site organisations in the UK and across the world, and operates in over 170 countries worldwide.
• Openreach - looks after the ‘first mile’ of network, from the exchange through to homes and businesses. Its customers are not end users but the companies who supply their telecommunications services to them. It treats all its customers on an equal basis and thus provides the essential ingredients for the vibrant, competitive retail market in the UK. Is also the engine for BT’s extensive fibre rollout programme.
• BT Innovate and Design - is responsible for BT's research and innovation – with BT being a top investor in R&D.

• The UK has the world’s most competitive communications market in the world, with unrivalled broadband availability, take-up and prices.
• BT invests billions of pounds each year in infrastructure to boost productivity, create jobs, bring communities together and enrich peoples’ lives.
• Telecoms prices in the UK are down in real terms by 54% since 1990.
• More than 60% of UK homes now have broadband – up from 12% in 2003 and a higher rate than Italy, Spain, Germany, France and the USA.
• We are investing £1.5bn in providing fibre-based services to up to 10m homes by 2012 (40% UK households). Assuming an acceptable environment for investment, we plan to add a further £1bn by 2015, taking coverage to around 66% of the UK.

• Competition is better than regulation for protecting the interests of customers.
• Where there is regulation, it should promote competition.
• Markets worldwide should be open, with state authorities acting to promote competition, encourage innovation and challenge vested interests.
• Financial and social stability will be underpinned by sustainable digital economies.
• Investment in the communications infrastructures of such economies requires regulatory stability, technological neutrality, and appropriate financial rewards.

CityFibre is the UK’s leading alternative provider of full fibre broadband infrastructure, with wholesale open-access full fibre networks in over 50 towns across the UK, delivering reliable, gigabit-capable full fibre connections to consumers in the public sector, business community, mobile operators and residential markets.

Full fibre connectivity is revered for its gigabit speeds, near unlimited bandwidth and consistent reliability. CityFibre is making significant investments in towns and cities across the UK as we look to rapidly expand the number of homes and businesses which have access to full fibre.

As part of our £2.5 billion investment programme, we are bringing full fibre to one million UK homes and businesses by 2021 and 5 million by 2025 - leading the drive to build the digital infrastructure needed to support the UK’s communities, businesses and wider economy.

KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership operates from 22 offices across the UK with over 16,000 professionals led by 630 partners. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax, and Advisory services. We operate in 148 countries and have more than 200,000 professionals working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International, a Swiss cooperative.

Within KPMG’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice we focus on the most pressing issues faced by our sector clients in this period of unprecedented change. The mass-adoption of over-the-top (OTT) video platforms is sending shockwaves through the television and film business. Social media and online search continue to take revenues away from traditional ad-funded media. News and information publishers seek to diversify through digital subscriptions, e-commerce and live events. Mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships are becoming more prominent by the day as market participants seek to gain scale and acquire complementary capabilities.

The upcoming launch of 5G networks and accompanying gigabit wireless speeds and ultra-low latency promises further redefinition of the boundaries between linear, online and live entertainment. Cloud gaming and e-sports, IOT-enabled devices, AR/VR applications, HD mobile video are just some of the emerging services and use cases that will compete for consumers’ attention and share of wallet. Media executives are striving to develop sustainable business models balancing short term financial goals with long term ambitions.

KPMG has a 360-understanding of these hot issues and the specific threats faced by each of the media segments – television and radio broadcasting, advertising, music, film and news publishing. Our collaborative approach across key international hubs such as London, Silicon Valley, New York, Shanghai and Tel Aviv brings to our clients a powerful lens and repository of insights to help tackle the strategic and operational challenges ahead.

KPMG International’s Trademarks are the sole property of KPMG International and their use here does not imply auditing by or endorsement of KPMG International or any of its member firms

Improving the health of humans and animals is the goal of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company therefore concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention.

Family-owned since it was established in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Some 50,000 employees create value through innovation daily for the three business areas human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceuticals.

As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim plans in generations and focuses on long-term success. The company therefore aims at organic growth from its own resources with simultaneous openness to partnerships and strategic alliances in research. In everything it does, Boehringer Ingelheim naturally adopts responsibility towards mankind and the environment.

More information about Boehringer Ingelheim can be found on www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or in our annual report: http://annualreport.boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Economic Insight is an economics consultancy that provides an unrivalled level of client service. Our unique proposition is that we combine the rigour of technical economics with the consultancy skills of leading strategy houses. We use economics to provide our clients with a fresh perspective on the issues that matter most to them and to support superior decision making.

Our expertise is in helping clients solve critical, real world, strategic problems across the areas of business strategy, regulation, competition law and public policy. Our track record of delivering value-adding results means that we are trusted by major private and public sector organisations to advise at the most senior level. We work across all sectors, from fast moving consumer goods and retail through to regulated utilities. Our breadth of experience allows us to offer cross-sector insights that help our clients achieve their objectives.

As you would expect of a firm of specialist economists, our advice is underpinned by rigorous economic, statistical and financial analysis. But it’s how we use our analysis that makes us different. Our focus is on translating it into clear and valuable advice for our clients. In our opinion, that’s what makes economics relevant.

OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations) is a leading UK awarding organization and is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group, an international exams group designing and delivering assessment. We are committed to ensuring that all our assessments are fair, have sound ethical underpinning, and operate to the highest technical standards. Our organization is not for profit.

We provide GCSEs, A Levels and vocational qualifications to schools, colleges and many other types of institutions. OCR believes in a broad and balanced curriculum providing choices that can meet the needs of different learners and which support different approaches to teaching and learning.

We develop our qualifications in close consultation with teachers, industry leaders and government to ensure they are relevant for today’s students and meet requirements set by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual).

Our heritage is long established and provides us with expertise across the full range of academic and vocational qualifications. Since becoming OCR in 1998, our experience, knowledge and skills have enabled us to build a reputation for reliably high standards.

As part of the Cambridge Assessment Group (a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge) we have access to unrivalled expertise and research capability across assessment and examinations. We are proud to be part of the University of Cambridge and we are at the forefront of education. We support teachers, schools and Governments around the world.

We provide GCSEs and A Levels in over 40 subjects and offer over 450 vocational qualifications, including Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals.

We actively seek out high quality innovators in education and work with them in partnership to develop qualifications/assessments that supports their activity.

Unite Students is the UK's largest manager and developer of purpose-built student accommodation serving the country's world-leading higher education sector. We currently provide homes for over 50,000 students in circa 130 properties across 22 leading university towns and cities in England and Scotland. Unite also has a strong development pipeline, which will deliver more than 6,000 beds in the next three years.

Our 1,400 people are driven by a common purpose: to provide the students who live with us a 'Home for Success' and to be the most trusted brand in the sector. We do this through quality service, quality people and quality properties, all designed on the basis of an unrivalled insight into students' needs and preferences.

Unite's accommodation is high quality, safe and secure, and located close to university campuses, transport links and local amenities. Students live predominantly in en-suite study bedrooms with rents covering all bills, insurance, 24-hour security, and high-speed Wi-Fi. MyUnite, our mobile app, provides practical support such as instant messaging and maintenance requests.

Our commitment to customer service is powered by an innovative, in-house operating platform. It provides a wide range of benefits to our students, such as an optimised online booking process, as well as providing us with a unique ability to drive value from our portfolio through scale efficiencies and revenue management.

Alongside delivering quality service, our other strategic priority is delivering growing and sustainable earnings. A key part of this strategy is growing the number of beds let though partnerships with mid and high tariff universities which are experiencing record levels of student demand. We currently partner with 60 higher education institutions, guaranteeing that approximately 60% of our rooms are let under multi-year, 'nomination agreements' providing high visibility of forward occupancy and rental growth.

Unite is also the founder of and major donor to the Unite Foundation, a charitable trust established to support talented students facing challenging financial circumstances through the provision of free accommodation annual scholarships. The Foundation has so far provided scholarships for 209 young people working in close collaboration with 27 universities.

Founded in 1991 in Bristol, Unite Group is an award-winning Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange and a member of the FTSE 250 Index.

For more information, please visit Unite's corporate website www.unite-group.co.uk, the student site www.unitestudents.com or the Unite Foundation www.unitefoundation.co.uk.