The success of a joint venture between the Lake District’s Northern Fells community and network operator EE to provide 4G mobile Internet speeds in the one of the UK’s most remote rural areas points to the need to accelerate and expand the roll-out of next-generation infrastructure, says teliqo’s Russell Lux.
Common problems for telephony and broadband Internet connectivity in rural areas include the long distances from exchanges diluting speeds and low population density making network expansion into those areas less commercially attractive. But Lux, Commercial Director at bespoke cloud-based telephony solution provider teliqo, says that it is just as important to bring the speed and consistency of 4G services to rural communities as it is to equip urban centres.
Broadband roll-out has always prioritised urban areas, with towns and cities getting network upgrades long before more remote areas. But while it’s obviously important that centres of population and economic production have high speed Internet, rural communities are equally as dependent on efficient broadband and telephony networks for their economic success. In fact, end-users in rural areas may even feel more of a benefit than their counterparts in big cities where emerging networks are straining to deliver headline performance for more densely-packed online populations,” Lux said.
Much of rural Britain’s economy depends on tourism, and tourists increasingly expect to have Internet access wherever they are. This is especially the case as our dependence on smartphones, tablets, and laptops to work on the move – even when we are supposed to be on holiday – continues to rise. For the owner of a rural pub or bed and breakfast, the ability to provide guests with always-on connectivity may be the difference between taking enough bookings to thrive and struggling through the season,” he continued.
But it is not just the tourism industry that stands to benefit – farmers and their food retail businesses will reap the rewards too, with access to telemedicine techniques for their livestock and much more reliable contact with suppliers, distributors, and vets. With the ability to do more things online cutting down the need to travel, they will also be able to devote more time to the day-to-day management of their farms and businesses.
With rural industries under increasing economic pressures, investing in rural broadband networks provides vital support to remote communities, helping to safeguard jobs in the tourism and agriculture sectors and providing high-performance infrastructure that will benefit these areas for years to come,” Lux concluded.
By Russell Lux
http://www.teliqo.com/