Get up to speed with business broadband28 October 2005
Recent research conducted by the Confederation of Confederation of British Industry (CBI) with the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) proclaimed that the UK has reached the "end of the beginning" in terms of e-business.
It revealed that 68 per cent of British businesses now conduct transactions and communications with customers online, compared with only 50 per cent in three years ago.
It also highlighted the increase in the number companies utilising broadband to aid home-working - with 50 per cent of businesses equipped for staff working remotely, compared with just ten per cent in 2002.
Whatever your business, it is clear from figures like these that getting up to speed with broadband internet connections can help you to grow your business and improve your business processes.
We run through some of ways in which it is possible to get yourself connected to broadband and open your business to the possibilities of the world wide web.
What kinds of connection are available?
The term broadband is a general description of a technology that allows user to connect to the internet without disrupting voice call capabilities. There are several different methods through which this can be achieved.
ADSL
Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is the most common type of broadband internet connection. The technology can function over two telephone lines allowing subscribers to be online and using the telephone simultaneously. Because most internet service providers offer this kind of broadband connection it is inexpensive, and the high bandwidth separate to the phone line means that the connection can be "always on". See our previous feature on how this can help your business be more efficient.
A range of speeds are available, and they tend to be priced accordingly. A number of ISP's have recently launched broadband of speeds up to 8 Mbps. These high-speed connections allow the faster download of larger data files, and are simple to upgrade and so are suitable for small businesses likely to continue requiring ever-faster internet access.
Cable
It is also possible to connect to broadband internet using a fibre-optic network and a high-speed cable modem. This happens in the same way as cable television is connected to a building, and the cable modem then connects to the computer through a local area network card. This type of broadband connection is also "always on", and there a number of packages available through cable television companies, which may be particularly useful of your small business is based at home.
Wireless
There are two types of wireless broadband connection, the most common of which is Wi-Fi. This is the short name for wireless local area networks hotspots, which are cropping up all over public places globally. Access can be gained at hotspots in cafes, airports and so on, and roaming capabilities mean that the user can subscribe to one service and then utilise broadband connections wherever they may be. Being able to connect to the internet while on the move would be beneficial to workers regularly off-site. See our previous feature on the advantages to business of establishing a wireless network. Starting to become available now is Wi-Max (Worldwide interoperability of Microwave Access) which offers a larger range than Wi-Fi's 100 feet.
For more information on the different kinds of broadband connection available for small business see the Business Link site.
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