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Britain falling behind in fibre optic broadband

Britain’s fibre optic broadband technology is below par compared to the rest of the world, according to a leading computer professor.

Professor Christopher Bishop, chief scientist at Microsoft Research Cambridge, has called for the Government to launch a programme of broadband investment to extend the fibre optic broadband cable network across the country.

Without the financial outlay, the British economy could be in further danger he warned, spelling disaster for education, health care and entertainment.

Speaking to the Guardian about fibre optic broadband, he said:

“We can now shift huge amounts of data speedily around the country but cannot move it the last mile into people’s houses because there is not enough [broadband] bandwidth in our domestic telephone cables - the only effective route we have for taking broadband signals into homes and small businesses. This is beginning to have serious consequences.”

Other countries are now reaping the benefits of broadband investment. Professor Bishop cited the example of the Far East where fibre optic broadband cables have been fitted to homes, local hospitals, doctor’s surgeries and small businesses.

The vast amounts of data available through the fibre optic broadband cables, as opposed to copper phone wires, is enhancing workers’ performance, particularly in the medical professions where doctors can now study patients’ X-ray images and detailed health records.

“If we are looking for a government project that would stimulate the economy in the short term and help combat the impact of the credit crunch, while also bringing long-lasting improvements to the nation’s infrastructure, then we could do no better than rewire the nation with [broadband] fibre optics,” Bishop said.

30/12/2008
Author: CompareBroadbandUK staff writer

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