Broadband: Forget Superfast, Ultrafast is the Future

VIRGIN Media's 100Mb broadband went live this week.

Potential customers should form an orderly queue clutching their postcodes.

At present the service Virgin Media insist on calling 'ultrafast' is only available in a few locations:

Heckmondwike, West YorkshireFarnborough, HampshireColchester, Essex andBarry, South Wales

"The launch of our 100Mb service is a significant milestone in the UK's broadband evolution and a vivid illustration of the power of our next generation network," said Neil Berkett, the ISP's chief executive officer.

"In the space of just ten years, Virgin Media has led the greatest developments in digital Britain."

The small nature of the initial launch area suggests that the product will be carefully watched to ensure that there are no teething issues before roll-out to wider swathes of the nation.

All other areas not activated at present will have to wait until at least next year to receive the new 100Mb broadband service.

However, Virgin Media's own roll-out timeline indicates that the next swathe of towns won't be activated until March 2011.

Those looking for the UK's fastest broadband will just have to twiddle those thumbs at superfast speeds until then.

Superfast, pah!

The launch of Virgin Media 100Mb service is well-timed.

Earlier in the week, Jeremy Hunt, the coalition's Culture Secretary, announced plans to bequeath Europe's best broadband network to the UK by 2015.

"Our broadband infrastructure is towards the middle rather than at the head of the pack," said Hunt, in a speech to think tank Reform.

"Only 15% of UK subscribers currently have speeds above 5Mb, compared with 65% in South Korea. And only 0.2% of UK households had a superfast broadband connection at the end of last year - compared to 12% in Sweden and 34% in Japan... These are all big challenges."

Mr Hunt must be happy that 'ultrafast' is taking over, or at least starting up.

It will certainly help towards meeting the Coalition's aim and they didn't have to do anything or, crucially, spend a penny of their £830 million kitty.

The planned BT fibre network is far more likely to bid for some of that cash.

Pricing 100Mb

According to a Virgin Media, "A typical family will be able to get the new ultrafast service for as little as £35 a month when bought in a bundle, or just £45 per month when bought as a sole product."

We're not sure whether £35 or £45 a month can be described as 'just' or 'as little as'.

The UK's cheapest broadband is currently about £15 including the landline or £180 a year; with a landline Virgin's 100Mb service is £46.99 a month or £563.88 a year.

Nevertheless these products represent good value for money within the context of the current superfast, ultrafast, slimfast, whatever, broadband market.

In addition, the new service is unrestricted both in terms of traffic shaping and because it lacks a fair use policy which, coupled with those speeds, will make it one of the best broadband deals for downloads.

Virgin Media have even chucked in up to 10Mb upload speeds, the UK's fastest upload.

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Consumer Panel: Forget 4G, How About Some Phone Signal?

A LEADING consumer group has demanded that the millions of people without 2G mobile phone signal are tended to before existing connections are upgraded to faster 4G speeds.

Ofcom has been told by MPs that it needs to increase 4G mobile coverage to 98% to prepare for the upcoming radio spectrum auction, due to be held next year.

But the Communications Consumer Panel (CCP) claims that the auction should be used as an opportunity to upgrade the remainder of the network rather than focusing on faster networks for those who already have a connection.

Lack of 2G connections

The Panel states that regulator Ofcom is responsible for extending data services to more rural areas before it carries out any infrastructure upgrade to urban areas.

It claims that the funds raised by selling airwaves in next year's radio spectrum auction should be used to ensure that every UK area has some access to a mobile voice or data connection.

The industry watchdog also estimates that up to three million UK residents live in a mobile 'not-spot' - meaning that they are without even a 2G connection.

Although the next-generation 4G connection will provide smartphone users with crucial faster speeds, it seems unfair when a large portion of the population have no connection whatsoever.

Not-spots around the UK

CCP chair Bob Warner said, "Most places that were mobile coverage notspots 10 years ago are still notspots today and the spectrum auction represents perhaps the only chance we have in the next decade to improve coverage in the nations and for rural communities."

The cost of achieving 98% mobile coverage throughout the country would be approximately £250m, which is substantial but only a small percentage of the amount expected to be generated by the auction.

The target for coverage currently stands at 95% by 2017, meaning that millions of people could be left waiting for some form of mobile coverage for at least another 5 years.

It is thought that one of the major notspots for mobile coverage in the country is on the rail networks, with research from Ofcom suggesting that there was only a 10% chance of maintaining a 15 minute mobile phone call on the East Coast mainline.

4G will not resolve coverage problems

The CCP does not have a problem with achieving 98% 4G coverage, but it believes that it is nearly impossible as the networks have built as many 2G and 3G masts as possible. Therefore, if the infrastructure were to be upgraded to 4G, those people with poor signal now would still have no mobile coverage.

The radio spectrum auction is due to take place at some point in the first six months of 2012, and will be the largest ever as it will see the release of 80% more than what was released in 2000.The 4G services are then expected to roll out in 2013.

Should the money raised from the auction not be ploughed back into the mobile networks, it will be a significant windfall for the Treasury.

And Ofcom will have a challenge trying to prize cash from the purse once they have their hands on it.

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