David Willetts (Minister of State for Universities and
Science & conservative MP for Havant), in a recent report has said that
Satellite broadband will become an
“essential
means” to deliver faster internet access into rural communities.
The response came after being questioned by Harriett Baldwin
(Conservative MP for West Worcestershire) in parliament, who wanted to know
what role satellite broadband solutions could play in delivering internet
access into rural areas within her constituency.
David Willetts responded:
“
We see satellite broadband as an essential means
to deliver faster internet access for rural communities, businesses and
individuals. Everywhere in Britain can therefore access broadband via
satellite. This is an issue we regularly discuss with the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport.
We got an excellent outcome from the European Space Agency ministerial
last month. Britain is now the leader of the ARTES 2 programme for the
development of the next generation
telecommunications platform. It is great to
see British businesses taking a lead here, and this will increase broadband
speeds and reduce costs for UK users in rural and remote areas, making
satellite broadband even more accessible.”
This is seen as great interest as previous government
reviews and reports have seen a mixed reception on the topic of satellite
connectivity, although it does have plenty of viable applications which can be utilised
in rural areas such as
SCADA
for remote monitoring of sites.
The press surrounding satellite broadband has always been
shaded by users’ bad experiences, and the affordability. But it cannot be
denied it’s a system that works very well in rural areas and well as a back-up
solution for the alternative cabled broadband. In the short term satellite
broadband is a solution that is working, with 100% coverage* of the UK. Fibre is a solution for the future, but when
exactly it is installed it cannot be seen.
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