Broadband News & Mobile Broadband News

A recent research project carried out by the British Computer Society has revealed that two thirds of IT managers value the upcoming speed developments in the UK’s broadband sector.

Claiming that it will help businesses if broadband services were better, the IT sector is definitely on board with the Digital Britain report which was published by the government back in April.

However, while advancements in broadband speeds and nationwide roll out are welcomed, it is said that more training regarding the use of the internet would also be beneficial.

The Chief Executive Officer of the British Computer Society, David Clarke, said, “Our ability to process, share and manage information will determine the success of our society. To be successful we need a high performing IT education system and a population with the IT skills to be productive, empowered citizens”.

Mr Clarke certainly has a point. It is all well and good introducing better broadband services, but if consumers and the workforce are unsure as how to make the most of them then the advancements could be wasted.

Virgin Media announced plans earlier this year to introduce new retail drop in centres where consumers would be able to learn more about the Internet and common technical issues.

The high costs of building the huge data centres required to support the government’s Digital Britain plans could force companies to build them in Europe and thus hinder broadband speed progress within the UK.

The claims come from Derek Webster, an Associate Director of McBains Cooper who told the Times that the average data centre uses as much power as the city of Leicester.

The restricted broadband speeds are likely to mainly affect small businesses and those who work from home.

It could also affect the financial sector, with Webster saying, “When it comes to, say, the financial services industry, a delay in movement of information or money of a millisecond can cost tens and millions of dollars. So the demand is to keep those data centre servers close by”.

Expensive land and electricity prices as well as patchy fibre optic infrastructure just outside of London is making the UK an unsuitable place to build data centres.

Unless these prices change, it’s likely that the Digital Britain report will have its major organs placed in other European countries such as Germany, France and Sweden.

MPs are set to investigate the UK’s broadband speeds after the publication of the Digital Britain Report on the 16th June.

The aim of the investigation is to understand whether the goal of 2Mbps broadband speeds in every home within the UK is “ambitious enough” (South Korea have recently set a minimum broadband speed limit of 1Gbps).

They are also looking into whether the 50p broadband tax plans are fair.

Many critics of the 50p broadband tax plans are dubious as to whether the tax raised will be enough to fund the roll out of next generation broadband to the reported 30% of UK homes that are currently without adequate broadband access.

There are even doubts as to whether the goal to have 2Mbps broadband speeds in every UK home is achievable, not to mention whether they are fast enough.

As yet another investigation gets underway, some industry specialists are concerned that the Digital Britain Report may not survive a change in government and that the broadband industry itself is being bogged down by ongoing investigations and reports, rather than actual action.

The MP of Inverness, Danny Alexander, has voiced his concern over the city fast becoming a broadband “notspot”.

In a statement he said, “Today’s BBC research is a salutary warning of the problems being faced by broadband users across the country.”

“There is real frustration among rural parts of the Highlands that broadband is still not available and that the Scottish Government scheme for satellite access in remote areas is much more expensive than people expected.”

He continued, “But the problems are not limited to the rural areas. In the last few months several businesses based in Inverness have contacted me because they are frustrated by falling broadband speeds in the city.”

“They find that speeds routinely fall below 2Mbps, and that it is often almost impossible to get a high speed connection from lunchtime onwards as other users go online.”

The main concern is that Inverness’s economy is suffering because of the low broadband speeds. Lord Carter has so far missed out Inverness as an area that needs next generation broadband. However, Mr Alexander says that the Highlands were once a leader in telecommunications and they could be again if they were one of the first to receive next generation broadband.

Top broadband ‘notspots’ were announced last week by the BBC with the study showing just how poor the UK broadband speeds currently are.

Far from affecting only the rural areas, there are some broadband notspots that are situated in towns and cities. Inverness is just one example of this and it will no doubt cause more concern about how realistic the 2012 Digital Britain goal of 2Mb broadband for all actually is.

A new study commissioned by the BBC has revealed that nearly 3 million UK homes have broadband speeds less than 2Mbps.

Interestingly, it is not just rural areas that are suffering from poor broadband speeds, if any. The survey shows that commuter belt areas near major towns and cities are also affected – with Hampshire being one of the worst affected counties.

In order to receive a broadband speed of at least 2Mbps, a property needs to be 4 kilometres or less away from the local telephone exchange.

The survey, which was conducted for the BBC by broadband specialist firm SamKnows, found that 50% of homes in Basingstoke in Hampshire are at least 6 kilometres away from the exchange.

Worst still, 25% of all postcodes in Hampshire had broadband speeds less than 1Mbps.

Slow broadband speeds mean many websites cannot be viewed properly, including social networking sites and the BBC iPlayer. It also prevents people from being able to work flexibly from home.

With the government’s interim Digital Britain report outlining plans for all UK homes to have a minimum broadband speed of 2Mbps by 2012, this latest study raises the question as to how realistic that plan is.

The final Digital Britain report is due next month and is expected to recommend wireless, mobile and satellite broadband as options to help solve the UK’s broadband coverage & speed problems.