Broadband News & Mobile Broadband News

Cheaper broadband deals are thought to have helped lift the number of broadband connections within the UK to over 17 million.

Ofcom’s latest Telecommunications Market Data Update has shown that residential and small business broadband connections reached 17.3 million in the last quarter of 2008.

These new figures show that the broadband sector has grown by 11% within a year, with 1.7 million new connections recorded – which shows that despite the economic downturn, the broadband industry is still performing well.

However, there are some who think that the new Ofcom figures are not giving the full picture. This is because the figures do not reflect the sales of mobile broadband connections which is a sector which has grown enormously over the past 12 months.

The 11% year on year rise in UK broadband connections is not overly surprising when you take into account a recent survey conducted by O2 that showed that the majority of the British public would cut down on their food bills rather than their broadband bills.

Overall the new figures published by Ofcom show the important role a fast internet connection is playing in people’s lives. In recessionary times, broadband is helping people to search for work as well as to apply for jobs online.

It is no wonder why so many people are unwilling to cut back on their broadband bills and why there is a steady growth in broadband connections each year.

With more parents now entitled to ask their employers for more flexible working hours, cheap broadband looks set to help businesses cope with the expected increase in demand of staff wanting to work from home.

Many companies have been worried about the high costs of setting up the necessary technology for their staff to work from home. However, the Citrix Online Director of E-Commerce, Andrew Millard, says that it isn’t as expensive to make the necessary changes as businesses might think.

Mr Millard said, “With technologies now in place to help companies mobilise a remote workforce quickly and easily, without the need for expensive on-premise infratsructure costs, this latest announcement gives businesses an opportunity to drive efficiencies into their operation, while increasing staff morale, retention and productivity levels.”

So whilst businesses may need to put initial technology into place, the long term cost benefits could far outweight the initial expense.

The use of broadband can enable employees to keep in touch with the office even when they aren’t there. Emails and even video calls can be conducted online which makes it a lot easier to work from home.

Allowing employees to have flexible working hours will also help to reduce time off and boost morale too. The only problem that really presents itself is to businesses which use older computers.

The Business Development Manager of Aastra, Mike Ballentine, said, “Most modern systems provide IP capabilities when and how you want them, but if you have a very old system you may need to look for an upgrade.”

The new legislation regarding flexible working hours for parents comes into place this week. Businesses can use the legislation to their advantage if they do embrace the change and put into place the appropriate technology needed for employees to work from home.

It’s often tempting to opt for what appears to be the cheapest monthly broadband deal on offer. However, in some cases, these deals include a raft of hidden costs that can increase your monthly bill and final yearly outlay considerably.



Hidden costs like one off set up costs, call rates for contacting technical support and charges for going over your usage cap could make your monthly bill rocket and give you a nasty surprise.

To help with this, we’ve put together this useful cheap broadband guide that’s well worth a read, especially if you’re considering changing broadband provider or moving house. Take a look now.