Very remote area broadband
The downside of needing internet access is the lack of coverage in more remote areas of the UK. A number of initiatives are ongoing to ensure more and more people have decent access to the web (which means more than a standard phone line/dial up connection) but what if you are out of range of a broadband enabled exchange?
This happened to a business colleague of mine who then struggled to make sense of how to solve the problem. I steered him towards the use of satellite broadband, which although it can be expensive got him out of a problem.
What are the main issues you need to consider with satellite broadband?
• Cost is a major concern, and I have seen quotes in the region of £1500 for installation with monthly service charges of £70. (This compares to around £25 for a standard broadband connection)
• To get speeds suitable to support internet telephony, online gaming, trading or video via satellite broadband will cost a lot of money. Latency, which means the time it takes for a signal to travel to and from a satellite, often introduces a delay to the data. This can be fixed to a certain extent with additional hardware but of course it will cost extra.
• You will also need to think about where you purchase your system. As the satellite broadband market is fairly immature it is not unknown for suppliers to go out of business rapidly, so do your supplier homework.
Do we need to be covering satellite broadband in more detail? It is a very important topic for some users and we could produce a guide if needed.
Meanwhile these guides may be of interest:
Getting your Business Online
Using Internet Based Phones
Mr BITG, Virtual Director, Business IT Guide
