Guest Blog

Guest Blog: 'WiFi in US Cities' by Felicity Dryer

Think about the last time you couldn’t find Wi-Fi access when you needed it: If you’re like most people, you might have to really think about it, as wireless Internet access seems to be available almost anywhere these days.

And when you consider how many people carry multiple Wi-Fi-enabled devices, the need for easy access to wireless Internet connectivity becomes more important, whether you’re at home, at work, or enjoying a park or restaurant. Having easy access to wireless options can allow a parent to attend his son’s football game while remaining connected to work, for example.

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Guest blog: Matt Powell, Broadband Genie

Full Fibre Broadband

The UK’s broadband infrastructure is undergoing an important period of change. We’re moving away from a reliance on outdated copper lines in favour of future-proof fibre optic links. In place of a creaking phone network which was never built with the internet in mind, the fibre lines spreading throughout the country can provide far greater connection speeds without the signal degradation which affects copper cabling over long distances. (more…)

Will a shift to gesture based computing via tablets and apps help get the final third online? A guest blog

On the day the iPad is launched in the UK, a guest blog from Brian Williamson of Plum Consulting considers what impact a shift to this type of device, with simpler, more intuitive interfaces and utilising mobile connectivity, could have on internet adoption.

“A report by Plum Consulting for Vodafone examines internet use and barriers to use, market changes and policy possible approach to get more people online. In terms of use the report finds that education, workforce participation and age are key considerations in explaining internet use.

Older US citizens are significantly more likely to use the internet than those in Korea or Europe, whilst those in Northern European Countries are significantly more likely to use the internet than their Southern European counterparts (consistent with the level of economic development and education at the time they were at school). (more…)