Time to deliver on broadband promises

Advice 2010-03-18 14:19

Clodagh Murphy of Eclipse Internet believes high-speed broadband across the UK is now a necessity, rather than a

With a general election looming large, the issue of broadband network improvement is fast becoming a hot topic. Add to that the Digital Britain bill which is being pushed through parliament before the ballot boxes open, and things are getting interesting, to say the least.

It was disappointing to read that the UK ranks 21st out of 30 countries in providing high-speed broadband capabilities (according to research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), falling far behind our European counterparts.
For example Sweden, which currently boasts an average connectivity speed of 12.8Mbps compared to Britain’s 4.1Mbps, has pledged that 90 percent of its population will be able to access speeds of 100Mbps by 2020, with 40 percent receiving it by 2015. However, even more worryingly for the UK is the fact that the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development has revealed the UK is ranked just 13th when it comes to broadband penetration.

All this clearly points towards the need for more investment in upgrading networks and technology. There are two key aspects to consider when increasing broadband penetration in the UK – one is the universal service commitment of 2Mb for customers, and the other is targeting those areas that can receive a fast service, but where the uptake is low.

Ultimately, the government needs to focus on ensuring that every part of the country has the right level of access. For example, there are parts of Cornwall where the level of service is so poor broadband is virtually unusable. This is where the government needs to focus their energies.

Investment strategies also need to ensure that those homes and businesses not currently using the Internet start embracing technology and the many services available. However, this will only work if the government initiates and highlights the right incentives and benefits to increase broadband uptake.

Therefore, the need for high-speed broadband across the UK is now a necessity, rather than a luxury. Recently at Eclipse Internet, we launched a super-fast fibre broadband service that will enable businesses to benefit from increased connection speeds and services including VPN, video conferencing and VoIP. So whatever the outcome of this year’s election, it’s high time government and businesses work together to efficiently accommodate the UK’s growing need for faster broadband.

Tags:

Misc