Archive for category Latest Broadband News
Twenty Seven UK cities apply for £50 million broadband boost
Posted by Luke in Latest Broadband News on May 6, 2012
Many of the headlines regarding broadband tell of rural areas missing out on what’s on offer while the city rejoices in luxury super-speed connection. It is assumed, with reason that large cities are receiving the best of what broadband services can provide. This may not be the case- some of the wealthiest areas in the UK have joined forces to apply for a significant amount of government cash in order to develop their internet speed.
The areas, twenty seven cities across the UK including Cambridge, Oxford and Aberdeen have applied to be part of the development that was mentioned in the budget, dishing out money towards service providers to get the ball rolling.
Of the twenty seven applying cities, only ten will receive a share of the £50 million that has been set aside in the budget for the development according to the government plan .
The cities had to meet certain criteria to apply, such as having a Royal Charter granted to them by the monarchy and they had to have a sum of more than 45,000 homes and businesses to be eligible for the development that will potentially provide these major cities with some of the highest internet speeds in the world.
The competitive speeds the cities will ideally be receiving are being implemented with specific goals in mind; to bring opportunities of growth amongst other positive outcomes such as the development of high tech industries and hopefully transforming public services.
By addressing these positive outcomes as a potential result of broadband speed development, the scheme has highlighted internet usage capacity as a relevant asset to modern city life and a responsible use of government money.
As headlines of rural areas missing out fade away and are replaced by major cities aiming to develop their speeds for positive outcomes, broadband remains a vital instrument of development and productivity despite its technology rapidly changing.
As the Government takes responsibility for enhancing internet connection across the country, individuals search for services and deals on things like broadband phone & digital TV and routers to assure they get the most out of what has become an essential service in the twenty first century.
Canadian Emergency Services Create Dedicated Broadband Network
Posted by Dai in Latest Broadband News on May 5, 2012
Emergency Services in Canada are set to benefit from the introduction of a dedicated high speed broadband network to improve instant communications and surely save lives.
Minister for Public Safety Vic Toews announced recently the allocation of 10MHz of Canada’s valuable 700 MHz broadband spectrum for the sole use of emergency services. This project is set to be the largest scale project in integrating public safety services with communications technology in the history of Canada.
This new dedicated bandwidth will allow emergency services to communicate more effectively than ever before. Paramedics will be able to conduct ultra-sound tests and send them for doctors for immediate expert results before they have even arrived at hospital. The progress of fire-fighters can be tracked in real-time and in 3D. In fighting crime, when speed is always of the essence, Police Officers will be able to upload videos from crime scenes straight away spreading information and helping resolve cases or catch criminals faster.
Technologies like these will genuinely help save lives. In all aspects of emergency services speed is essential and these new broadband developments will make sure that communications are not only fast, but instant.
The dedicated network will also help Canadian services communicate with their counterparts in the USA, with whom Canada share a very long border.
Currently, whilst having to share bandwidth with the general public, emergency services have been frustrated by sluggish information and download speeds. This is especially so in the case of major emergencies, in the case larger disasters or more public dangers effective internet communication becomes all the more essential. However, thanks to the popularity of android phones and mobile internet, these larger public emergencies draw members of the public to try to film, or take pictures and upload them online to sites like Youtube. Meaning that emergencies demand for bandwidth peaks publicly, interfering with the needs of the emergency service on the same network.
Dedicated bandwidth means that Emergency Service communications will never be interfered with again or suffer from slower speeds at peak times.
Some say that 10MHz doesn’t go far enough however and are demanding another 10MHz. They say that on a particularly “bad day”, for example in the case of a major public disaster like an earthquake or major fire, the current allocation won’t cover the increased demand as every public safety service goes all out in the need to save as many lives as possible.
Dedicated emergency service broadband networks are likely to take on across the globe as the most effective way to provide the public with the most modern safety services. Internet technologies such as this will be a major step forward and are sure to save many lives in the future, making the world a slightly safer place to live in.
BSkyB Report Profits Despite News Corporation Crisis
Posted by Dai in Latest Broadband News on May 3, 2012
Against all the controversy and legal crises surrounding phone hacking practices of BSkyB’s biggest shareholder News Corporation’s, BSkyB have reported boosted profits over the last nine months triggering a leap in share prices.
These profits seem to have been thanks to increasing demands for BSkyB’s broadband, television and phone bundles. BSkyB have seen an net rise of 78,000 customers to 10.5 million over the last three months leading up to March, operating profit therefore rose by 15% to £908 million on revenues that were up 5% at £5.1 billion, which was ahead of analyst estimates.
Business successes have helped raise the strength of BSkyB’s shares seeing prices rise from 14.5p to 705.5p, their strongest on four months. Still well below last summer’s value of 850p, but a welcome resurge after share prices plummeted on the back of News Corp being forced to abandon their takeover bid.
Jeremy Darroch, chief executive of BSkyB praised their choices to focus marketing on home communications and says this news demonstrates that BSkyB’s aim of introducing a brand new broadband based television service called NOWTV by mid 2012 is on track.
The news of profits has been an essential revelation for the company as, thanks to their major shareholders being the Murdoch family; owners of the controversial News Corp, BSkyB are facing serious scrutiny by Ofcom. Media regulator Ofcom have been considering whether or not the internet and television service provider should be allowed to hold a broadcasting license when 39% of their shares are controlled by the disgraced Rupert Murdoch.
BSkyB representatives are using the news of boosted profits as evidence that they are of value to the broadband and broadcast markets and make a ‘positive contribution’ to the UK economy as a whole.
BSkyB are successfully weathering the storm surrounding their shareholders and, in the light of these profits, look like they could succeed even if the Murdochs are forced to drop their 39% stake. BSkyB are looking to the future to meet the UK’s growing demand for broadband services and profit from delivering new services. BSkyB look like they are keeping customers from looking elsewhere for competing Virgin or Orange broadband reviews.