Broadband not good enough for businesses
October 21, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Broadband is becoming increasingly vital to small businesses across the UK to carry out their day-to-day operations so it is worrying to hear that 63% of small businesses are not happy with the broadband speeds that they are currently able to receive.
The news comes from the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) which announced the results of a survey of 4,000 of its members. The results were so worrying that the FSB has written to new Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, to highlight the problems that small businesses are having to face.
The main gripe was that small businesses are unhappy with the progress being made by the government in improving broadband speeds across the country. Getting access to high-speed broadband is becoming essential for businesses because it allows them to take advantage of services such as cloud computing which can save them lots of money. However, this is simply not an option with slower broadband speeds.
In particular, the businesses were concerned by the situation of rural broadband speeds which are often significantly lower than speeds in urban areas.
As well as concerns surrounding broadband speeds, the FSB survey also revealed that many businesses are frustrated with ISPs providing inaccurate information. In other areas, they complained that there is too much red tape to deal with and that they want a simpler tax system.
The national chairman of the FSB, John Walker, said that broadband barriers such as those being experienced by businesses across the country are going to get in the way of advancement and should be taken very seriously.
BT launches new broadband initiative
October 15, 2010 at 2:28 pm
BT have announced plans to provide those customers who already subscribe to one of their phone and broadband bundles with a free upgrade to a fibre broadband service by 2015 at the latest. This will allow those customers to have access to download speeds of up to 40Mbps and upload speeds of up to 10Mbps.
With the free upgrade only applying to those customers who have already signed up to BT’s Total Broadband package, leaving consumers currently subscribed to ‘More Broadband & Calls’ and ‘More TV, Broadband & Calls’ packages needing to pay an activation fee of £25 if they wish to upgrade their service to the new ‘Infinity Option 1 bundle’ that provides the new faster broadband speed, it’s clear which users are getting the better deal in this scenario.
Having said that, many consumers had previously been fearful that, in light of the fact that BT’s Total broadband bundles start at a relatively low figure of just £17.99 per month, it would be consumers left forking out for any upgrades that increase the speed at which they are able to access, and download from, the internet.
BT themselves have been keen to ensure that this move generates as much positive publicity as possible, with John Petter, Managing Director of the Consumer Division, stating that “fibre is the future of broadband and BT is raising the speed and standard for customers nationwide. BT Infinity is head and shoulders above other services when it comes to value. We are the only company offering you an upgrade to fibre for no extra monthly cost and the only company to offer free line installation across all new bundles”.
Should BT manage to force their rivals to match, or even better, this latest offer, it is certain that it will be broadband customers across the UK, rather than big-name companies, who will be the ones benefiting the most from BT’s initiative.
Broadband or food? Surprising results from survey
October 8, 2010 at 2:33 pm
A Sky News survey has provided an interesting insight into what people across the UK deem to be the most important parts of their daily lives and what they would be most likely to give up if they were forced to do just that during these tough economic times.
The two things that people said they were least likely to give up were their pets and their broadband connections. This means that most people would prefer to cut back on their food rather than their broadband.
This surprising piece of information shows just how important broadband has become to the nation over the last few years. It is actually quite startling how reluctant we now are to live without it.
The survey questioned 1,000 people, discovering some harsh truths about the state of the nation’s finances. It found out that more people are worried about money than they were a year ago and more than half of those working are less secure in their jobs now.
Behind food on the list of things that people would cut back on came holidays and eating out, which seems to make slightly more sense.
On top of this research, separate research was also carried out by the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, revealing that 93% of the country would only get rid of their broadband connection if it was a last resort.
So, why is broadband so important to us now? The fact is that we use it to do so much every day. We work, socialise, play games, keep in touch, download music and films, and with the development of smartphones and the introduction of tablet computers, we are able to accomplish even more with the internet. This all means that people can simply no longer imagine a world without broadband.
Bundle broadband to save money, says Ofcom
October 1, 2010 at 2:25 pm
There are some great deals to be had at the moment on broadband, and some of the best deals are those in which broadband comes bundled with other services, such as a phone line and digital TV. However, Ofcom has warned that many people are still failing to take advantage of the savings on offer through such services.
The announcement was made in its Communications Market Report, which states that, although bundled services can often be cheaper than paying for each service separately, 47% of UK consumers are failing to enjoy the cheaper rates on offer.
Ofcom said that this means some households are wasting up to £140 a year paying for the same services which they could be saving through bundling.
However, the benefits of bundling go beyond the potential savings. Ofcom also highlighted the fact that bundling can be a lot more convenient because customers are only paying one provider through a single bill. This can make life easier and can also help customers to budget more efficiently.
Ofcom, though, also warned consumers that there are some potential drawbacks to bundled services. These often consist of lengthier contracts, and consumers also have to consider whether the services being offered are suitable for their requirements. In terms of broadband, this means asking whether it is fast enough or has a sufficient download limit.
The best thing to do if you are interested in a bundled broadband package is to take a trip online and see which good value deals you can find. Check that you are happy with the length of the contract and that it includes everything that you require, and you could end up saving a nice lump sum every year.
