SHDSL technology to be employed to increase broadband coverage throughout the UK

Efforts have been increased recently to take broadband to rural homes in the UK who have thus far been unable to benefit from decent internet connections or, in some cases, any internet connection at all.

BT is looking to upgrade a number of telephone exchanges in rural locations, many of them in remote parts of Scotland, to allow SHDSL broadband connections to be run through them.

The SHDSL technology has provided something of a breakthrough in extending the reach of broadband, allowing services from traditional ADSL lines to be increased in both distance and speed.

The Scottish government has been in special talks with BT to help increase their broadband coverage and the new initiative is being rolled out to telephone exchanges in Argyll, Ayrshire, the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Forth Valley, the Highlands and Islands, Lanarkshire, Lothian, Moray, Orkney, Renfrewshire, Shetland, and Tayside.

The SHDSL technology will be vital in these areas with its capability to take broadband coverage, with speeds of up to 1 Mbps, to distances of around 12 kilometres from the telephone exchange. By employing line bonding technology to this there is also the potential to increase the speeds even further.

Capacity problems in some of the smaller, rural exchanges have also been reported and efforts are being made to investigate whether the SHDSL technology can be employed there to help ease these difficulties.

US government promises $7.2 billion in funding for high speed SDSL broadband access

The United States government has announced it plans to spend $7.2 billion (£4.5bn) on broadband networks in the country.

The plan, which would see the creation of high speed networks in 17 states across the country, was announced by Vice President Joe Biden in December.

The scheme, includes the installation of SDSL broadband connections and aims to meet the growing demand for faster online access in the country.

Vice President Biden announced the first $183 million (£115m) in a speech in Georgia. Speaking at the event, Biden said:

“New broadband access means more capacity and better reliability in rural areas and underserved urban communities around the country.”

“Businesses will be able to improve their customer service and better compete around the world,” he continued.

The funding for the high-speed plan (which would include SDSL broadband connections for remote rural communities) is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a stimulus package introduced by President Barack Obama in February last year.

The United States currently ranks 15th in the world in broadband penetration, lagging behind a number of countries in Europe and Asia. The new broadband plan is designed to increase the number of US citizens with high-speed online access.

The announcement of this $7.2 billion package comes just two months before the Federal Communications Commission submits its national broadband plan to Congress. This nationwide scheme is designed to increase the number of individuals with high-speed broadband.

Lack of confidence in current connections may see many switch to SDSL

The use of SDSL broadband in businesses across the UK is increasing as the service continues to be faster and more reliable than other broadband options.

With a recent study by Ofcom revealing that many UK companies are unhappy with the broadband service they receive, we may see a marked increase in SDSL customers, who will be attracted by fast upload and download speeds. These speeds are, in some cases, as much as four times faster than the average standard ADSL offering.

Of those surveyed, 23% stated that they have regular problems with their broadband connection and were unhappy with its ability to handle actions such as video streaming.

For a quicker, more reliable service, some companies may look at a leased line option but SDSL provides mirrored upload and download speeds at a fraction of the cost, making it a viable alternative for many.

It is this parallel exchange speed that attracts many to SDSL, especially businesses who have a high amount of two way internet traffic.

SDSL broadband is currently only available to certain exchanges but the number of these is increasing all the time, as is the speed available to business SDSL users.

The highest SDSL speed is currently around 6Mbps which, with its symmetrical service, would provide 6Mbps upload speed and 6Mbps download speed concurrently.

It is this feature of SDSL that is particularly appealing to users with a high flow of data traffic in both directions and there is a definite trend of users moving away from traditional broadband networks and onto those more suitable to their needs, such as SDSL.