Broadband in the UK Options

[{EF}brym]

Internet connectivity in the UK, when compared against the rest of the connected world, is still in the Dark Ages.

The BBC earns £3 billion per year from TV License fees, but refuses to help boost broadband deployment to any notable degree despite the huge success and impact of it's iPlayer TV streaming service. And the digital divide of fast and slow internet connections within the UK is set to grow further as a result of the failings of Lord Carter (now former Communications Minister) of Barnes, and a lack of cooperation between BT and Virgin Media for wired connectivity, and Vodafone and O2 (headquartered in Spain) for wireless (mobile) access. What's more, these communications providers only plan to hook up major cities with the latest and greatest because it's more economically viable. What about our rural areas? The majority of which are still shockingly stuck at the tail-end of dial-up speeds of around 60kbps. That's 10 year old technology.

And the government isn't particularly aiming high either. They want to see the country hooked up to 10mbps. Let me put that into perspective. <sarcasm>10 MEGABITS PER SECOND!!!!!!</sarcasm> (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

So while the rest of that aforementioned connected world cruises by at a comfortable 100mbps residential connection as standard, our governmental and private sector fumbling, not to mention the gross misuse of parliamentary expenses (some of which could have been better used in helping to bridge the digital divide), is expected to see us stuck with a 2mbps average residential connection for the next 10 years! Now allow me to put that into perspective. 10 YEARS!!!!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

By the time we finally get Fibre To The Home on the same scale as the U.S., Sweden, or South Korea, world + dog will have long surpassed us in every aspect of internet connectivity.

Meanwhile, Sweden plans to test 100gbps this summer.

[Magnus]

Meh sounds crappy :<. I'm glad i live in Sweden now which has to be the first time ever lol. Hope they decide to upgrade your broadband speeds soon
Yeah, Telenor, tele company in sweden, is aiming to expand their wireless broadband to 150 mb/sec in Sweden, i've got to try that when it arrives. Already their customer so i hope they'll throw me a discount (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) .

[TazUK]

the worst thing is now that are talking about taxing broadband users http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8102756.stm

[{EF}brym]

I read about this the day after posting this topic. I can understand the logic behind it, but their timing is shit! The ISP's should want to invest in network infrastructure to pipe the countryside with inner-city-equivalent broadband. A customer is a customer. And they need as many as they can get with their debts.

[TazUK]

this is true. i still think its a bad idea as you can stop the charge by removing your landline the way its proposed at the moment

[{EF}brym]

maybe the government believes you can only get online with a phone line. guess they failed the availability-by-post-code check on virgin's website (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)