Network improvements needed

Recent research by Ofcom, the official body that regulates the communications industry, has found that more than half of the UK adult population now have a broadband connection in their home, with over 4 million home and business users having got online in the past year.

This huge rise in broadband usage has helped to push connection speeds up and prices down as more and more ISPs enter this competitive marketplace. With the spread of the fibre optic network throughout the UK, cable broadband is becoming increasingly popular as people take the benefits of bundled communication packages and providers that operate their services on this basis are leading the way in the connection speeds they are able to provide.

There is however, some concern that as speeds rise even further, the UK telecoms network may not be able to cope with the increasing demand placed on it. Some providers are now offering speeds of up to 20Mbps which although revolutionary in terms of broadband connection, may not actually be available to a large percentage of the UK due to the inadequacies of the current telecommunications network in place. Ofcom have warned of possible social and economical problems if broadband companies don't keep up with this demand and improve these networks.

Scotland are beginning to address this problem and its Executive are currently offering Ł3.5million to broadband providers interested in extending their network to cover areas of the highlands not currently serviced. The rest of the UK are taking a slow approach in comparison. However, with more and more demand for internet features such as online, tv, live streaming and interactive gaming, sooner or later broadband providers are going to have to start making the improvements that will enable the more advanced speeds that their customers expect.