Rural firms concerned over poor connectivity and competitiveness
Rural firms concerned over poor connectivity and competitiveness
Businesses in Wales and Buckinghamshire have raised concerns that slow broadband speeds are making them less competitive against their rivals.
According to the Daily Post, Wales is suffering from a north-south divide in broadband speeds, with northern areas lagging behind. The fastest speed in North Wales was 11.2Mbs in Flintshire, half the average speed recorded in Cardiff.
Angela Delaney and Neil Bishop, who run a recycled furnishing company based in Llanddeiniolen near Caernarfon in rural Gwynedd, were told they could not have broadband because they live too far from the nearest exchange. They were prevented from receiving satellite broadband services because there are too many trees nearby and the area has no 3G mobile signal.
Ms Delaney said: “Our business relies heavily on a strong web presence and being interactive on social media. Our growth is being substantially scuppered due to our lack of interconnectivity with other businesses online.”
She said if the problem continued, the couple would be forced to consider relocating to England due to the lack of infrastructure to support their business. On some days, she said the slowness of the internet connection made it almost impossible to send an email.
“Everything takes so much longer - it’s like we are trapped living in a different age, while the rest of Wales speeds up,” said Ms Delaney.
Meanwhile, South East MEP James Elles has also raised similar concerns about slow network speeds hampering firms based in Buckinghamshire. He said the UK’s slow roll-out of faster broadband speeds in rural areas has left many locations “in the dark”.
He said that although Buckinghamshire boasted the highest business start-up rate of any English county, many people are now considering relocating due to poor broadband services.
He said: “Internet connectivity has now become an essential factor for entrepreneurs but the danger is that current Digital Agenda targets are delivering yesterday's technologies."
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