The BBC reported today that government is looking unlikely to deliver on it’s promise of total broadband coverage across the UK by 2015. Although those living in large urban areas have access to ample bandwidth, the UK has a large rural dwelling population and many remote areas are being essentially cut off from society by not possesing the high quality internet access the rest of us enjoy. Dial up is the only option but with the archaic loading speeds and virtually zero hope of downloading large swathes of data before Christmas, businesses who operate in the good old English countryside are being left out in the cold.

Wales is one of the worst areas for being on the recieving end of government neglect and even in areas just five miles outside Swansea, broadband is not an option. Using dial-up is almost unthinkable to those who have been downloading large files quickly, even for everyday networking, emailing, shopping and general browsing, it is clearly unworkable then for a business having to process reams of data as well as constantly liasing with clients.
This puts into perspective the fuss that some of us kick up about the lack of WiFi when we are out and about. Cloud computing is the future but surely the government should continue it’s push to make broadband available to all before giving Wi-Fi a second thought.

The absence of broadband internet has a whole host of other implications for businesses who are very much ‘cut-off’. IP Phone systems such as the Avaya IP Office are an impossibility, this coupled with a dial-up connection is a double blow for rural businesses. A Voice over IP Phone is especially useful in isolated areas for contacting customers and other business via video-link, this brings a personable element to the businesses communications without having to travel long distances at a high cost.

The government needs to re-evaluate it’s spending policy on digital and bring the countryside into line with the more densely populated parts of Britain in terms of providing broadband access. At the current rate it looks unlikely that the target of 2mbps broadband in every home will be achieved by 2015, amid vicious spending cuts however, it looks as though some may be unlucky enough to be hearing the dial-up tone in five years time.


Related Blogs

Tagged with: • •

Filed under: Broadband Internet

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!