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For further information about Connected Cheshire please contact John Barrett.
Broadband In Cheshire – The Availability of High Speed Internet Access for Domestic and Business use in Cheshire
Background
Broadband is an "always on" Internet service that can be used for many purposes: shopping, buying a holiday, playing games, running a business. It is generally about ten times faster than conventional services that use a phone line.
The established commercial providers have been progressively developing their services. This has brought us to the present position where areas where population is most highly concentrated have Broadband available through a choice of providers. However this leaves many more rural localities with limited choice of services.
Other than satellite services, it is unlikely that the market will provide Broadband in the least populated areas of Cheshire in the foreseeable future, without some support for the provision of infrastructure. It is improbable that any provider would be willing to take the commercial risk of a significant investment with the prospect of an uncertain level of takeup.
Technologies and Requirements
The various technologies available each have their advantages and disadvantages which need to be considered.
Generally speaking it is accepted that a connection speed to 512Kbps is Broadband in the domestic context.
Uses of the Internet
The main impetus for local authorities providing broadband has been for educational purposes, associated with Schools and Libraries, it has to be accepted that the use of learning materials may not be the main driver for domestic or business users.
For home use shopping and games are likely to feature large, whereas for many businesses Broadband will offer the opportunity to use financial and human resources systems that can be purchased at affordable prices from a vendor on the Internet but would be beyond reach for the business to purchase and maintain itself.
DSL
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) involves providing high speed services for data over the copper circuits traditionally used for telephones. There are a number of companies who market such services for both business and domestic use. For the most part these are ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line). They are asymmetric in the sense that data travels faster downstream (ie to the user) than it does upstream (that is from the user).
For general domestic use and many business uses an asymmetric service is an advantage as it is providing capacity where it is most needed – sending data to the user. However, this can have disadvantages for some purposes, for example where interactive learning materials are being used which work best where the data from the user travels as fast as the data being received by the user.
For this reason asymmetric services are not recommended for School Broadband use. DSL technology requires local exchanges to be enabled by having additional equipment installed for DSL to be available. BT, who of course own the exchanges, set a threshold of numbers of users who express interest in an ADSL service before investment is made in enabling an exchange. Some other companies such as Easynet are also involved in enabling exchanges, working in partnership with BT. Many companies sell Internet services which use this infrastructure.
An increasing number of exchanges in Cheshire towns are enabled, although if you live in one of the more rural parts of Cheshire you may find ADSL is not yet available in your area. This is a growing market and it pays to shop around. A limitation of DSL technology is that because it relies on the conductivity of copper, there are limitations as to its range, which arise both from distance and the quality of circuits. Generally a distance of 3.5Km from your exchange is a reasonable guide.
For an independent review of providers visit http://www.adslguide.org.uk/
The BT website contains information on which exchanges are enabled and general information on broadband.
Easynet offers a number of broadband services, including some aimed at small businesses:
Satellite
Satellite is the only Broadband technology that offers complete coverage of Cheshire. However, it has a number of disadvantages.
Like ADSL, many satellite services are asymmetric, and some do not transmit data from the user at all.
Costs tend to be higher than most domestic users would find attractive.
Satellite has the further disadvantage of inherent latency. Radio waves travel at the speed of light. The distance at which a geostationary satellite orbits causes delay which means that some applications such as video do not work well over satellite. For the domestic market this is a further limitation, especially as regards games. For example the Microsoft Xbox, which is one of the more popular games consoles, does not support satellite broadband and ADSL or cable is recommended.
Cable
In some areas commercial providers have invested in fibre optic cable in ducts and offer services to both business and domestic users. Coverage is as yet very limited in Cheshire. NTL offer a service in parts of Ellesmere Port, Knutsford, Wilmslow and Macclesfield. Further coverage of urban areas can be expected, but it seems unlikely that cable will ever provide coverage in sparsely populated rural areas in the foreseeable future.
Generally the limitations of latency and asymmetry do not apply to Cable.
To see if there is cable coverage in your area visit the NTL website
Broadband Wireless
A limited number of services are provided by commercial operators. Cheshire, Your Communications (formerly the communications arm of Norweb) have an exclusive license for the radio frequency that is used for this service in the North West. A high level of investment by the operator and tariffs can vary widely depending on the number of users taking up the service. It lends itself well to situations such as enabling an industrial estate with Broadband.
Check out Your Communications on their website
Contention
Most commercial Broadband services are contended. At its simplest this means that a number of customers will be using the same connection at the same time, with consequent loss of speed. When you buy a Broadband service check out the contention ratio.
Conclusion
Generally the market is providing in the areas of higher population density, but is not providing in more sparsely populated areas, nor is it likely that it will provide in the foreseeable future without the provision of a commercial incentive.
Cheshire County Council is looking at ways of encouraging the provision of Broadband Services in the more remote and rural parts of the County.
VBC Internet
Chester-based VBC Internet provides professional broadband to the business community. Special discounts available for all Cheshire businesses.
E-Learning
E-learning is seen as one of the building blocks for the implementation of electronic government.
Find out more about the importance of E-Learning. |