Business leaders in the UK have joined forces to push for faster broadband speeds in the UK with some dispute over the definition of “super fast” broadband. Within the industry it is perceived that “superfast broadband” is anything over 100 Mb per second while the industry regulator Ofcom believes that superfast broadband is any speed over 24 Mb per second.
It would appear that many consumers agree with the industry definition of superfast broadband as 24 Mb per second speeds are in theory available today. There is growing concern that the UK broadband network will not be able to support the likes of IP TV and video-on-demand which appear ready to hit cyberspace just as soon as consumer confidence and consumer demand is there. While there is no doubt that the UK government has taken the broadband bull by the horns there is concern as to whether the authorities are being ambitious enough.
The UK broadband industry will be a focal point of the UK economy in the weeks, months and years ahead. Indeed, more and more business will be transacted over the Internet as companies look to reduce their overheads and increase their profit margins. It will be interesting to see how the authorities structure their broadband strategies in the years ahead because ultimately consumers are more and more aware of broadband and it is becoming a vote winner.