Open internet connection crucial for business growth
Open internet connection crucial for business growth
Ensuring the internet remains open is absolutely essential to business growth and productivity, according to a new survey.
'The Open Internet: A Platform For Growth' report, which was compiled by Plum Consulting on behalf of the BBC, Channel 4, Blinkbox, Skype and Yahoo!, found that ensuring the internet has low barriers to entry is essential to all.
The report – which was commissioned to analyse the value that content providers offer to the internet, and to add to the European net neutrality debate – refuted claims that 'network bottlenecks' are being caused by the content providers.
With the use of content providers such as online video services – including Channel4OD, BBC IPlayer and ITV Player – becoming ever more prevalent, the report found that traffic issues were in fact not caused by such services.
Flying in the face of telecom companies' cries, the report also said that, far from causing bottlenecks, online content providers were driving demand for broadband connectivity, something which pushed broadband revenue in Europe to £132 billion last year.
Indeed, the report claimed, without the large scale investment made into new customer offerings, the uptake of high-speed broadband would not have seen such strong growth, thus causing telecoms firms to suffer a drop in revenues.
Director at Plum Consulting, Brian Williamson, told Rapid TV News, “The open internet has supported a virtuous circle of innovation in applications and content provision and in broadband access provision.
“The open internet benefits consumers and the whole economy. A commitment to the open internet is now required, given the costs and risks involved in a possible departure from the open internet norm, in order to sustain innovation and investment along the value chain, to the benefit of all,” he added.
Businesses looking to move services into the cloud should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network
