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Super-Fast Broadband is a popular UK term, which, as of writing
(2011), generally refers to an Internet Connection which has
a speed of 24Mbps and above. When most people think of Super-Fast
Broadband, they usually think of a connection delivered by
a fibre optic cable, rather than the traditional copper landline
cabling.
Super-Fast Broadband is also referred to as high speed broadband,
and can be found in numerous countries around the globe. As
of 2011, South Korea and Japan have two of the leading global
high speed broadband networks, with considerable coverage
percentages. The UK does have a Super-Fast Broadband network,
which was first offered by Virgin Media, but, reports have
suggested that only 1% of the UK's population has access to
a broaband speed of 24Mbps and above.
The previous Labour (UK) government had developed a scheme
to ensure that the whole of the UK would have a broadband
speed of at least 2Mbps by 2012. Recently, the new Conservative/Liberal
Democrat coalition government has announced that they have
shelved this scheme. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has stated
that the Internet is evolving at such a pace that 2Mbps will
not satisfy the demands of users. Instead, Jeremy Hunt has
promised he will develop a strategy to create Europe's best
broadband network by 2015.
The coalition government has ear marked over £800m
to help develop the UK's new fibre optic network. The current
aim is to ensure that every community in the UK has access
to fibre optic cabling. The one obstacle to this aim is the
rural hard to reach communities dotted up and down the UK.
Trials have already been put in place to reach difficult-to-reach
areas such as the Scottish Highlands.
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