UK: Universal broadband by 2012

Steve Hards

An interim report by communications minister Lord Carter calls for everyone in the UK to get access to a broadband speed of at least 2 megabits per second (Mbps) by 2012. “Currently, telecoms firms are only obliged to provide lines that can handle 28.8kbps, which is not enough for telehealth applications, which the report says require 512 kbps.” (Report by eHealthInsider – see comments too.) In the meantime, Korea is heading for 1Gbps broadband – approximately 500 times faster than 2Mbps. (Although the speed comparisons depend on what you are counting, in which part of the system. Whichever way you look at it, it’s an awful lot faster.)