UK government looks to delivery drones and driverless cars as part of digital strategy

The UK's Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey has called for the development of driverless cars and drone delivery services as part of the government's new digital strategy. Vaisey also pledged to deliver super-fast broadband to the whole of the UK.

The full strategy, which is expected to be unveiled early next next year, looks ahead to the next five years and how best to develop the country's digital economy.

"New technologies are changing every aspect of our lives," Vaizey wrote in a report on the UK's economic growth and digital strategy, published in late December 2015. "We need to make sure that wherever government is involved – as the service provider, regulator, or a major buyer – we are making the most of it.

"From driverless cars to deliveries by drone – the future imagined by far-fetched science fiction films from only a few years ago is rapidly coming true."

In a separate article published on Huffington Post, Vaizey revealed that a new scheme would see any homes or businesses without internet speeds of at least 2Mbps by 2020 receive a satellite dish to connect them.

"Over the past few years we've been undertaking a mammoth infrastructure project, perhaps one that even Isambard Kingdom Brunel would marvel at," Vaizey said. "In Europe, across the big five countries, we're now top of the list for broadband coverage, take-up, choice and price, with significant improvements over the year.

"We are living in a digital world. The next few years promise to see some of the most exciting technological developments in history, and this Government is making sure that the UK is positioned right at the heart of things."