Universal 2 Mbps Delayed At Least Three Years

The new Government has come clean on the news that many have suspected for some time. It doesn’t have the money to fulfil the previous Government’s widely criticised Broadband Britain commitment of a universal 2 Mb broadband connection for all the UK by 2012.
 
When it was announced last year by ex Communications Minister Lord Carter, many critics were highly sceptical that the Broadband Britain commitment could be achieved. Some say that the now defunct labour Government was desperate to give voters some positive news, when in the recession riddled run up to a General Election, good news was hard to find.

 



However some analysts have put the figure far higher than that at nearer £100bn. Research firm Point Topic estimates that around 2m homes are currently unable to get speeds of 2 Mbps. Point Topic analyst Tim Johnson fears the government has a bigger challenge on its hands than it realises.
 
Tim said: “These two million premises aren’t in clearly defined areas. The only way to reach the have-nots is to engineer a service upgrade across wide areas.That could bring the total number of houses needing upgrades closer to 5 million, which would cost the government more”.
 
In less formal discussions, the Government continues to brief that the broadband industry itself must find solutions to the problem. However with no new money available, and no commercial case for BT or other providers to fund the set-up costs, it’s difficult to see how rural not-spots and even some urban areas will get connected unless they opt for alternative options like satellite broadband.
 
Tariam’s satellite broadband solution for homes TooWay gives users a robust 3.6 mbps, nearly twice the Governments 2 Mbps commitment wherever they’re located, and its available everywhere now.
 
The only criticism of the satellite broadband route is that inevitably there’s the cost of the hardware.
 
National newspapers are now publishing details of online money saving websites every week, alongside stories of people who’ve saved £100s and even £1000’s on their every day expenses purely by researching prices and shopping online.
 
The Government’s ‘Digital Champion’ Martha Lane Fox, an original co founder of lastminute.com, has launched the “Manifesto for a Networked Nation” in a bid to get everyone of working age online by the end of 2012.
 
Many people don’t realise is perfectly possible to switch utility providers several times a year to take advantage of promotional and money saving offers, but these kind of deals are normally only advertised online. For those caught in the digital divide, satellite internet is the answer.