Audit Office report highlights need for broadband alternatives

The latest National Audit Office report into broadband delivery is further evidence that a broader approach is required to end the misery for the hundreds of thousands who still face an indefinite wait for fast broadband from the traditional suppliers.

The NAO report found that the government's rollout of ‘superfast' broadband to rural areas is about two years behind its original schedule, with only nine of 44 rural areas set to reach targets for high-speed internet by 2015, and four areas also possibly missing a revised 2017 target. More specifically, under the ‘90 per cent superfast coverage‘ obligation, this means that the remaining 10 per cent of rurally excluded households are likely to receive only the 2Mbps guaranteed minimum speed within the next 4 to 5 years.

The head of a leading satellite broadband company said the report highlighted the continuing failure to close the gap between the broadband haves and have-nots.

"Relying on the major infrastructure providers alone is proving to be a disaster for the many rural areas still facing years of limited or poor internet," said Mark Wynn, managing director of Avonline Broadband. "The time has come to stop putting all our eggs into one basket."

He cites the iNorthumberland programme where the digital arm of Northumberland County Council recently selected satellite and wireless operators to work with them to complement the four-year BT programme for their BDUK funded rural broadband project.

"Before even one kilometer of fibre has hit the planning board, Avonline is already connecting satellite broadband customers in Northumberland to its 20Mbps service," he said.

He added that thousands of people each month are now turning to the latest generation of proven satellite technology to bridge the gap and give them superfast broadband immediately.

Avonline Broadband is the UK's largest supplier of the Tooway satellite broadband service, which delivers download speeds of up to 20Mbps anywhere in the UK immediately via satellite transmission, with no need for infrastructure investment. The option of unlimited data allowances via satellite was also recently introduced for the first time in this country.

Avonline recently delivered a Parliamentary Briefing to MSPs, members of the wider Government Community and business leaders at the Scottish Parliament where live, working systems were installed in the Parliament building at Holyrood to demonstrate the capability and speeds of satellite broadband.

Mark Wynn said: "In the past few months we have seen record numbers of people coming to satellite broadband, rather than put up with the uncertainty of an indefinite wait for fibre or cable broadband. Most people suffering from poor broadband know that the reality is that such services will not reach them for years - if at all.

"Our message is simple - satellite broadband is universally available right now across the whole of the UK for just £25 a month with no public sector investment required."