Matteo, when we talk about “digital infrastructure assets” what do we mean specifically? 

In today’s world, the transportation, storage and processing of data are essential infrastructure acting as the backbone that allows modern society to work. Data centres compute that data, towers transmit it over air and fibre provides direct connections at the speed of light. 

Modern digital infrastructure is a newer terminology for a sector that’s been around for a while but used to be called “media and telecoms”. Largely, legacy telecoms was about the passage of sound. As new technologies have emerged that require more data – initially the internet, then streaming and more recently AI – more demand has been placed on legacy infrastructure. As a society globally we need to upgrade. 

Why is it so critical to ensure there’s adequate capital to support the development of this infrastructure? 

In basic terms, it’s essential because otherwise society can’t function. You only have to think of the travel chaos caused by the global IT outage in July to see this. 

But it’s also important from a social inclusion standpoint. Most often, a country’s capital city is where digital infrastructure gets the biggest focus. These centres are only home to a minority of the population, however. 

We need to build out the infrastructure across countries from a resilience perspective but also from a connectivity standpoint to enable a competitive society nationwide. It’s really about backing the growth in data for everyone’s benefit. 

This means, for example, there’s an opportunity to focus on “second cities” which represent sometimes faster growth opportunities. In the UK, for example, we see an opportunity in Greater Manchester as the second region to London.

Read the full ‘Thought Leadership’ article at the link below