From dial-up to broadband and beyond11 May 2006
Access to the internet via a high-speed broadband connection has changed both the personal and professional lives of millions of Britons as day-to-day tasks and entertainment become increasingly reliant upon the technology.
Over the course of 2005, the number of households subscribing to a broadband internet connection grew at the fastest rate of any nation, according to research by uSwitch. An increase of 61 per cent over the year meant that at the end of 2005, ten million UK households were using broadband. Statistics from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reveal that throughout the OECD area, the number of broadband subscriptions grew to reach 158 million by December 2005.
However, despite the speed and convenience of broadband technology, as well as its increasing availability and affordability, some 5.4 million British households are still using a dial-up connection to access the internet. The uSwitch survey calculated how much time these Britons could save simply by switching to broadband. It estimates that the average person could save around 54 hours a year purely through upgrading from broadband.
Such research is certainly interesting and adds to the growing sense in the UK that having a broadband connection is becoming more and more essential to daily life. But just what are the benefits for small businesses looking to make the switch from dial-up to broadband?
Broadband benefits businesses
Subscribing to a broadband line can offer small businesses a number of advantages and help them to grow in size and success.
- Improved productivity. A faster connection means that downloads, email and data transfer can be achieved more efficiently, leaving staff with more time to focus on other tasks.
- Decreased costs. Being able to work via the internet faster means that client problems can be solved more effectively, data and information can be shared in an instant and fewer manpower hours are wasted, all of which helps to lower outgoings for a small business. In addition, internet service providers are continuing to offer higher broadband speeds for competitive rate, often in tailored packages for small businesses.
- Enhanced profits. Using broadband to sell online, practice email marketing or simply communicate with customers and staff can improve sales and increase profits.
- Competitive edge. All of the benefits will help to give small businesses and edge over the competition, but broadband also places companies in the ideal position to take advantage of new innovations. Technology such as voice over internet protocol, mobile devices, video and teleconferencing can all be facilitated with a high-speed broadband connection.
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