Chris Stening

London

MD, Easynet Connect

It is good to see Ofcom taking the lead on the UK’s next generation broadband infrastructure. In particular, the need to secure a viable return on investment for the industry has long been a hurdle. However, while regulation is showing signs of moving forward, investment and in particular delivery of any kind of national fibre network is still a long way off.

It’s important not to forget that businesses have a very real need for fast reliable internet connections here and now, and small businesses in particular, who cannot afford to lease their own fibre lines today, certainly can’t wait for the fibre network. They need cost-effective, scalable, and fast internet connections now. Fortunately, with continual product innovations improving both download and upload speeds (with symmetrical uncontended 20Mbps connections now possible), SDSL and bonded SDSL services are more than capable of delivering this. But more importantly, since the infrastructure is already in place, it is available to nearly everyone who wants it today.

While discussions for a fibre network may continue on into the future, SDSL is more than capable of meeting our requirements until it gets here.