In summary, this is an integrated vision of networks and content working together - not one being the dumb carrier for the other. It is a vision of a next generation network environment designed to facilitate monetisation in numerous new ways, but engineered with the clear understanding that only with networks and content working together will we establish new conditions for further economic growth. It is a broad vision of a content-aware network that does not presume any single business model, but seeks to anticipate which conditions might be required to enable new models to develop beyond the current simple transaction-based or advertising-based methods of charging.

Economic impact: The contribution that content businesses make to the UK economy and in global markets is significant and growing, but is compromised by the challenges of evolving their business models and processes to succeed in the digital domain.

Capacity to exploit: Many of the components required to fulfil the above vision are beginning to be worked on in different countries around the world, but the UK has a unique opportunity to take the lead in this field both because of our size, our technological ingenuity and our consumers' sense of adventure. We have a consumer base that is among the leading early adopter communities worldwide and we have a national media infrastructure compact enough to enable rapid spread and uptake of new ideas and platforms. This also builds on previous Technology Strategy Board investments (see case studies).

Timeliness: Video-based content, by virtue of the larger file sizes has been broadly protected from wide scale unauthorised digital downloading. However, with bandwidth availability to the home increasing, this is changing fast.

Added value: In stakeholder discussions, it has become clear that no single sub-sector is likely to emerge as leader or be able to provide sufficient investment in this area to benefit the whole sector and yet the global opportunity for the UK to benefit from leading initiatives in this field are significant. This is a complex task requiring engagement with a wide constituency of different stakeholders, from content owners to network wholesalers. The over-arching remit of the Technology Strategy Board positions it well to help initiate and implement this effort.