Britain falling behind in broadband speeds
Ξ December 31st, 2008 | → | ∇ Gadgets |
Virgin and Be Internet may have offered some pre-Christmas cheer by signaling the arrival of their super-fast 50-meg and 48-meg broadband connections, but Britain is still chasing the global pack according to a top computer scientist.
Professor Christopher Bishop of Microsoft Research Cambridge reckons that unless Brits boost their bandwidth it could could have disastrous implications for the education and healthcare systems.
The prof also reckons that unless a major re-building of the nation’s online infrastructure takes place then Britain will be less equipped to tackle global warming. Crikey.
He says: "If we are looking for a government project that would stimulate the economy in the short term and help combat the impact of the credit crunch, while also bringing long-lasting improvements to the nation’s infrastructure, then we could do no better than rewire the nation with fibre optics."
It’s all down to the copper, y’see. Britain’s failure to replace their copper phonelines with road-runner like fibre-optic cables years ago has seen our little island fall way behind the Fear East and other regions when it comes to shifting our online data around the place.
The Prof adds: "We can now shift huge amounts of data speedily around the country but cannot move it for the last mile into people’s houses because there is not enough bandwidth in our domestic telephone cables, the only effective route we have for taking broadband signals into homes and small businesses. This is beginning to have serious consequences."
So come on Gordon, what are you waiting for? The future of Britain depends on your instant action to enable us a better Xbox Live connection, more HD movies. Oh and perhaps improve the economy, education system and environment, but first things first.
Link: The Guardian
