How’s your broadband speed? Are you chugging along at a fair lick or stuck in the data doldrums? Things have improved since the days of dial-up but services such as online gaming, video on demand, video conferencing are putting the old copper cable under increasing strain. It is also something of a lottery when it comes to speed. Advertised speeds seem like science fiction in some cases. But soon these problems may be distant, nostalgic memories.
Over the next five years, BT is rolling out the next generation of broadband service it calls BT Infinity. This is a fibre optic network where the signals that travel across the network are not electrical but pulses of light. The capacity of fibre networks greatly exceeds that of copper wire. To have a fibre link to the home has been the dream of telecoms engineers and knowledgable consumers for many years. It promises greatly increased speed and improved level of service particular for video and large files. Unlike copper wire, it does not depend on how far you are from the telephone exchange which means that everyone can enjoy high-speed internet goodness.
On the BT infinity website, there is a campaign to measure consumer’s interest for the new service. A vote is taking place online. The five regions with the greatest interest, by December 31st 2010, will have the chance of fibre optic line installed in their region. The votes are decided as a percentage of the number of people living in the region so there’s everything to play for for small rural towns. You can also use social networks Twitter and Facebook to help spread the word.
Make that drible of data coming out of your wall into a torrent of bits. Get to the site and stand up for your region. What are you waiting for, vote NOW!