Broadband in the UK’s Rural Areas

by Sam Jones Content Creator and Link Builder

If you are one of the 160,000 rural residents of the UK living without broadband access, or one of the two million who have slow, sub-standard broadband, then it will be perfectly obvious to you that change is long overdue and much needed.  Find out more about the various Internet connection options available in rural places, and look ahead to what the government promises to do for these areas.

Rural internet problems

Although many people in the small villages and towns of the UK have access to the Internet, it is often more expensive than it is in the big cities, and definitely slower.  This is partly due to the fact that many rural broadband systems are connected to a phone line, satellite or 3G network.  Businesses and individuals are relying on the Internet more each year, and the delays when trying to open a web page, download and upload information and send data, are frustrating and time-consuming.

How does Local Loop Unbundling help?

Private companies have come to the rescue, however, by using their own equipment and finances to install their systems in small-town BT or British Telecommunications exchanges.  Customers can then sign up to a plan with these companies, who are able to provide a better service than people would receive if they relied only on BT’s network.  Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) is the name for this system, and it has been successful in providing competition, lowering prices, and supplying higher quality broadband.

For those living in a non-LLU location, however, this is an option that is not yet available.  If they also happen to live far away from their nearest BT building, their Internet speed will be even slower than if they lived nearby.

As well as having the disadvantage of poor Internet speed, these customers are also restricted by being given limited data allowances.

Fibre-optic technology

Fibre-optic cables are good for maintaining strong signals across long distances, so they are an ideal option for out-of-the-way places.  Some villages and towns have this technology in place, but most of the UK’s rural areas do not at the moment.

Using satellites to provide broadband

Satellite broadband could be a good idea for the countryside because it can give both rural and urban areas good coverage.  It is not cheap to set up, however, and the Internet speeds can be a bit slow, so it is not a widely-used system yet.  Subsidies have been offered to some customers in Wales, Somerset and Devon, however, who are trying out this potentially useful idea.

Mobile broadband options

The alternative of mobile broadband could work for people who want an Internet connection but don’t heavily rely on using it every day.  “Pay as you go” options allow the user to top their usage allowance up as they need it, and if they are light users, they can save money by not paying monthly set fees.  The Internet fees are not necessarily fast, however, and the signal quality can also be problematic in rural places.

Banding together in the community

Some community groups have decided that enough is enough, and they have spoken up and taken steps towards securing better broadband access in their local area.  Residents of Lyddington in Rutland, for example, raised money from local investors, which helped them to have fibre-optic cables installed.  The village of Iwade persuaded the Kent council to upgrade the BT system to fibre-optic technology, using their allocated broadband fund.  Other villages have applied to private providers to start up a service locally, or to use LLU to provide better broadband for them.

The promise of 4G

By the end of 2014, UK customers should be able to access the 4G network, just like Cumbria, the 4G guinea pig, has been doing since 2012.  The idea is that the network should be rolled out to other remote locations, and country communities should be able to rely on faster broadband

Rural broadband’s future

The government has stated that it will spend £680 million on the systems and infrastructure needed to supply rural places across the UK with a fast, superior broadband service.  This massive transformation should happen by 2015, and work has already started on this ambitious undertaking.  Patient rural residents will soon have broadband just like everyone else in the country.  Hopefully they won’t have to wait much longer.

Sam Jones the author of this article, suggests to his readers who are looking for the cheapest broadband to visit uSwitch.com a price comparison website where all the main providers can be compared with the online checker

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Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

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