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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Broadband in Europe

According to a survey carried out across Europe, broadband usage has seen a rise of around 12% from statistics from 2006. The survey asked 150,000 households across Europe - with the exception of Malta - about their broadband habits. The survey showed that in the first three months of 2007, 54% of households had access to an internet connection, a rise from around 49% in 2006.

Results from the survey showed that around 42% of households in the EU now have access to a broadband connection. Percentages for households with access to the internet varied from country to country - from 19% in Bulgaria to 83% in the Netherlands.

Figures for the UK showed internet access had risen to around 67% - a rise of 4% compared to 2006 - and there has been a sharp rise in the percentage of broadband connections - rising to 57% from last year. With a number of broadband providers now on the market, consumers now have a wide choice of services available to them.

Whilst half of users had sent attachments with e-mails, around a quarter said they had used newsgroups, online discussions and chat rooms. One in ten of those surveyed had created their own web page, with a further 15% having used the internet for making phone calls.

The survey also showed details of the internet habits based on age and gender. The results showed that almost one-third of men over the age of 55 use the internet at least once a week - compared to less than a fifth for women. The results concluded that younger users are more likely to spend time on the internet.

However the results also showed that the numbers of internet users in the 55-to-74 age bracket has seen a rise and the numbers of women in that age gap using the internet - whilst still lower than those of men - has almost doubled in the past three years.

Compare a range of broadband providers to find a cheap broadband deal that suits you.

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Post Off Your Broadband

The Post Office has been a mainstay of the British community for as long as any of us can remember. While they may have their problems with postal strikes and the like, the GPO remains an institution looked upon fondly by many of us.

With the advent of the internet and email, one would think the Post Office would become almost obsolete, but that isn't the case. In fact, far from it. While the ordinary letter can now be sent via the internet, the soaring popularity of online shopping means that the GPO is inundated with parcels from all over the world every day.

And now, finally, the Post Office is realizing just what a commodity the internet is, and has jumped aboard. The familiar red and yellow logo can now be associated with broadband. And not just any broadband. The GPO has recognised something that so many other providers failed to; that not everybody can or wants to pay for their internet by direct debit.

Instead, Post Office customers can choose to pay for their broadband over the counter of their local branch - a tactic that is especially appealing to the 'silver surfers'; the over 50's who regularly use the net. Because many providers charge an extra fee if a bill is paid by anything other than direct debit, the Post Office's way is a boon for those who don't trust money coming out of their account, or who prefer to pay for bills as and when they arrive rather than on the same day each month.

Providers such as TalkTalk, who only offer one vague payment date per month - anytime between the 24th and 27th - and who charge a 3.50 per bill fee for credit card or postal order payments, may do well to follow the Post Office's example.

As well as the convenient payment methods, the Post Office also has the advantage of being a subsidiary of BT, meaning the availability of the broadband service is an unrivaled 95%, compared to the average 60% for other providers.

The only downside of the GPO broadband service is the low download limit on the standard tariff. 5MB per month is enough for most light users, but a heavier user may need far more than this. It is possible to get a good deal with a larger download limit if you shop around and compare deals from different providers. Decide what you want from your broadband and make your comparisons.

Want broadband? Find cheap broadband by comparing broadband providers online.

J Tillotson is a UK author specialising in technology and communications.

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Broadband - Deep Sea Disconnections

Whilst we all believe that satellites floating around the earth are responsible for the TV and the fact that we can watch the Superbowl in America all the way over the Atlantic in the UK the same cannot be said for the Internet. The Internet is run by an enormous network of copper and Fibre-Optic cables and in order for everyone to be able to connect to the Internet then there is some form of cabling infrastructure in place.

Many of these cables are submarine, in that they run under the water, they are well reinforced with up to nine layers of components to make sure these vital cables don't get disturbed. The problem is the cables running under the Mediterranean have recently become severed, initially one cable joining Egypt and Italy was broken but now a further two have been severed causing global problems, with Broadband Internet service disrupted in some Middle East countries such as Iran, India and Egypt.

The bigger concern was the disruption caused to telecommunications in these countries, especially India which as many people will know is home to thousands of outsourced call centres, BT was quick to re-route their network to deal with this disruption and reports say that although the telephone network quality isn't as clear as normal it is still workable.

The problem is that smaller companies with less comprehensive contingency plans are suffering; Vikas Jain, assistant vice president at AEZ Group, a real estate developer said, "We have a lot of offices connected by the net so because the internet is down means we are cut off from the head office,"

This problem is not the first of its kind, Broadband and other telecommunications in Taiwan were disrupted for months in 2006 after an earthquake managed to destroy 7 of 8 cables connecting to Mainland Asia. The repairs which were expected to last 10 days stretched out to months in order to get back up to speed. With the recent incident repair ships have been dispatched to repair cables before the situation worsens.

The reason for this disruption? Apparently the best guess is that a tanker had dragged its anchor along the sea bed. The repair time is likely to be a week from when the repair ships arrive, whilst the Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Egypt said the Broadband services in Egypt would be back up at 80% within 48 hours of the initial breakdown. Hopefully the World Wide Web will be back to strength soon!

If you are looking for cheap broadband whether you have an existing provider or not then you can compare broadband deals online. Also if you are thinking about changing your supplier then check your connection using one of the various broadband speed test websites to see whether you are getting your money's worth.

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The Mobile Office - Wireless Broadband Internet

Every day the phase 'mobile office' becomes more and more real for everyday business people. Technology advances at such a rapid pace, and week after week becomes more available for the small to medium business sector. No longer are high tech solutions only available for the blue chip companies. If you are a one man operation or a FTSE 100 company you should be installing new technologies on a regular basis, if you are not, then frankly you, should be. Any business owner knows that there are only three ways to improve your bottom line.

1) Increase revenue - By implementing marketing strategies, providing outstanding levels of service so that existing customers purchase from you time after time and refer you to the business contacts, and by employing professional sales people whose main objective is to service the customer needs. There are of course other ways of increasing revenue and we could go into different marketing strategies; however that is for another article.

2) Decrease costs - You don't need to be a mathematician to figure out that if you spend less you will have more money in the pot at the end of the year. There are so many areas where you can reduce costs but beware! Sometimes reducing expenditure can end up costing you more in the long run. I work in the Telecommunications industry so I will give you an example relevant to my experience. I was recently asked to help a local business that was having problems with their fixed line telephone supplier.

A few years ago this business was using a large company to supply their fixed line infrastructure and call billing. This large company was the market leader and was relatively expensive. The local business was approached by a small telecommunications company and were sold a product where they remain with the larger company for the infrastructure and switched to them for the call costs and billing, at a very good saving. Good business I hear you say, and it was at first. The problems started when the local business was having faults with the infrastructure (Lines) initially they called in a local engineer to test their telephone system; after many visits from the engineer and many dollars spent the conclusion was a fault was on the line. The small telecommunications company that were providing the billing was contacted; unfortunately they don't employ engineers as they are simply a billing company and don't get involved with the infrastructure.

The original provider was then contacted but the local business was informed that they could not help as they were no longer a customer and were told to contact the billing company. Around in circles they went. No such great business I hear you say now. Thankfully I was able to recommend a solution that met their needs for service and for cost. As I said earlier I am employed by a major telecommunications company in Australia as I am an expert in my field, and known for my attention to detail by establishing the needs of my clients and implementing solutions that fit. There have been occasions where I have recommended other companies that I am not affiliated with as they have an option that would better fit the needs of my clients. I still do business with these clients but in different areas. If you are approached by any company claiming to be able to save you money please ensure that they are fulfilling your needs NOT there own.

3) Improve efficiency - Implement strategies that will save you time and money, and introduce new technologies that enable you to perform more tasks in less time. This will enable your staff to have time to spend on rule number one - increase revenue.

Wireless Broadband Internet

Now we are familiar with how improving technologies in your business, in conjunction with your rate of growth will improve efficiency we can in turn improve your bottom line, by looking at a technology that will do just that no matter what size of business you are.

Wireless Broadband Internet is exactly that, internet on your laptop with broadband speeds and no wires, 100% portable. The modem will be slightly different in appearance depending on which supplier you use and they may have a slightly different name for it, but, essentially it is all the same.

The modem is about the size of a matchbox and connects via a USB port; it uses mobile telephone technology. It has a SIM card inside the same as your mobile telephone has.

A few years ago this technology was reserved for directors and senior management. I used to work for a company in the UK and I had to sign for a wireless card everyday when I went into the office and was not allowed to take it home. Then WIFI arrived. Sure, this was great at home but I was travelling all around the UK Monday to Friday, only a third of hotels would have a WIFI connection and then you had to pay to use it! The alternative was to drive around with my laptop on the passenger seat looking for a WIFI hotspot in a town I was unfamiliar with. I am sure many of you can relate to this.

With wireless broadband internet you will be able to access email and the internet anywhere you have a mobile telephone signal. As 96% of the Australian population receives a mobile telephone signal of some description, it would be difficult to find a populated area unable to get a connection. Now that the majority of Australia's major cities and suburbs are covered by 3G or HSDPA not only will you be able to access email and the internet but it will a at a broadband speed similar to what you would expect from your desktop PC.

You will also have the facility to use international roaming to receive access abroad (Additional charges may apply.)

Wireless Broadband Internet is now priced very competitively with data plans up to 5GB. You should be able to pick this up at a similar price to what you pay for your broadband connection at home. The benefits to this product are endless but here are a few:

1) Possibly no need to pay for a fixed line broadband connection at home.
2) Staff can work from home more.
3) Office based staff may be able to continue working from home is a child is off school sick.
4) Field based staff will be able to work more efficiently, sending and receiving email and placing orders whilst out in the field.
5) Reduce office space required

Scott MacLean: A published author, Telecommunications Professional, Sale Trainer, and Public Speaker.

Scott MacLean's background is with Telewest Broadband (UK) and as a company owner, after moving to Melbourne with his family in 2007 Scott was approached by a company representing, the second largest telecommunication company in Australia and offered a position to provide expert advice to business customers, implement sales training programs and to represent the company at association events.

If you require information regarding wireless broadband internet, mobile telephones, or fixed line systems and infrastructure please email Scott at scottm@obdirect.com

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