19 Feb 2009
Nearly 19 out of 20 businesses believe that the UK needs a high-performance telecommunications infrastructure in every part of the country for the UK to compete on a global basis, according to research by the Communications Management Association (CMA).
The CMA survey also that shows more than half of businesses want symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) connections, but are not able to get the service where they need them. SDSL gives firms the same bandwidth whether they are receiving or sending data across networks, important for internet facing web servers, back-office and software-as-a-service (SaaS) systems, and business customers making voice over IP (VoIP) calls.
CMA chief executive Glenn Powell said the survey showed "the urgency with which the measures proposed by the recent interim Digital Britain report are needed".
Powell said: "We welcome the measures proposed in Lord Carter’s report which we believe, if implemented, will enable British companies to remain competitive in the current tough economic climate.”
The survey also highlighted other key network issues, with 72 per cent of the sample saying that VoIP was "a key element of their company's collaboration strategy", with wireless VoIP being "of significant interest" to 61 per cent.
But 62 per cent said VoIP rollouts had been more complex than expected with two-thirds saying that anticipated cost savings "had yet to be realised."
Unified communications had been deployed in part by 45 per cent of respondents, while another 30 per cent said they were either implementing or planning a deployment within the next year.
The survey covered 386 organisations, ranging from mid-sized corporates to small enterprises and "one-man bands".
The CMA is right to point out that UK businesses need access to SDSL connections. The Internet is still a relatively new technology, yet the speed at which it has changed - and is still changing - the modern workplace is phenomenal. Newer Internet technologies such as cloud computing, VoIP calling, video conferencing and remote working all require significant upload bandwidth, and have quickly exposed the limitations of the ADSL standard. Business Internet providers are aware of this, and with the ability to enable exchanges with SDSL upon request, there is no reason why SMBs should fear that they won't have access to the bandwidth they need. Some ISPs already offer close to 70% SDSL coverage across the UK. And for those looking for even more capacity, bonded DSL connections now offer symmetrical speeds of up to 40 Mbps - more than enough to run all your new bandwidth-hungry Internet services!
Posted by: Chris Stening, MD, Easynet Connect 23 Feb 2009
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