VoIP News: Broadband

Broadband boost for Irish business

Irish companies are to benefit from a better broadband service following the announcement of a new undersea cable.

The £28 million contract, which has been awarded to Hibernia Atlantic Limited, will see a cable laid between Portrush and Hibernia's north transatlantic cable, 22 miles from the top of Northern Ireland.

It will be the first direct telecommunications link between Ireland and North America.

The scheme - dubbed Project Kelvin - was co-financed as part of the EU's INTERREG IVA, in partnership with the Irish Department of Communication, Energy and Natural Resources and the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

Stormont enterprise minister Arlene Foster said that the investment will "greatly improve competition in the international telecommunications market".

She added: "Northern Ireland businesses are competing more than ever for business in global markets.

"This project will deliver the kind of international telecommunications companies located in London, Amsterdam, Dublin and New York already depend on."

The link is scheduled to be completed by no later than March 2010.

Posted on: 2009-01-08, in: Broadband

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Brits 'think broadband too expensive'

A majority of Brits believe that their broadband provider charges too much, a new survey has indicated.

ISPreview.co.uk polled 804 broadband users and discovered that 52 per cent believed their service is too expensive.

However, the website's editor Mark Jackson said: "The UK has one of the most competitive internet access markets in Europe, with broadband often being given away 'free' with additional services by some operators."

But of those polled, just four per cent said that they had a "free" connection, while almost a third paid between £16 and £20.99 per month.

Mr Jackson said that the findings may mean people switch to a cheaper provider, but added that "just under half of people are still happy with the price they pay, with some choosing to pay extra for a quality service".

The future of broadband in the UK will be a big talking point next week, when the communications minister Stephen Carter unveils his Digital Britain report in Westminster on January 14th.

Posted on: 2009-01-07, in: Broadband

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Report 'will focus on universal broadband'

The communications minister's Digital Britain report will probably look at how to provide broadband for all, it has been claimed.

Stephen Carter's study - to be launched on January 14th in Westminster - is to reveal how the UK can secure its position at the forefront of the digital telecoms industry.

Edd Dawson, the managing director of comparison site broadband.co.uk, predicted that the "main area of focus" will be allowing broadband access of at least two Mbps across the country and how this can be achieved.

"There are many hundreds of thousands of properties that fall below this threshold currently, so the key will be how they propose to bridge the gap," he said.

"Mobilebroadband would likely be a cheaper option compared to a wired option, but would still require a large investment."

Mr Dawson's company has also just released its broadband speedtest results for December.

Its main findings were that the average download speed for all tests increased for the first time since July last year - rising by 14.02 per cent - and that this speed drops by 26.38 per cent during peak times.

Posted on: 2009-01-06, in: Broadband

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Cameron calls for universal broadband

Every UK household should have access to ultra-fast broadband within a decade, David Cameron is due to say.

The Conservative leader will make his claim as his party releases two independent policy reports on how his party could help firms in the green technology business.

Referring to the UK's internet speeds as "some of the slowest... in the developed world", he will claim that his party "will do everything" to provide fibre access for all within ten years.

"Fibre optic broadband is changing the way people work and do business, and it has the potential to completely transform our economy," Mr Cameron will say.

"It could open up new markets for our creative industries, promote innovation, create new, family-friendly jobs as people can work from home - and help reduce carbon emissions."

In December, internet service providers signed up to a voluntary code of practice - set up by industry watchdog Ofcom - which aims to ensure consumers are not misled over the kind of broadband speeds they can expect from their service.

Posted on: 2009-01-05, in: Broadband

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Brown hints at broadband investment

Super-fast broadband deployment in the UK could be boosted by government investment, Gordon Brown has suggested.

The prime minister told the Observer about the government's plans to create a number of public works to help boost jobs and stave off the worst of the recession.

One such project could be the improvement of the UK's internet infrastructure, the funding of which has been the matter of debate in recent months.

Mr Brown likened the government's scheme to that of early 20th century US president Franklin D Roosevelt, whose "New Deal" helped the USA through the Great Depression.

"When we talk about the roads and the bridges and the railways that were built in previous times - and those were anti-recession measures taken to help people through difficult times - you could [by comparison] talk about the digital infrastructure and that form of communications revolution at a period when we want to stimulate the economy," he told the newspaper.

"It's a very important thing."

BT has already pledged to invest £1.5 billion into fibre optic technology, in order to bring super-fast broadband to up to ten million homes by 2012.

Posted on: 2009-01-05, in: Broadband

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