| There has been a lot written about the speed of | | | | whether to invest billions in developing newer and |
| broadband connections, but for most users it takes a | | | | faster networks. |
| back seat to just getting the work done. With the | | | | In countries like South Korea - which is often |
| debate on whether there is a justified need for | | | | regarded as being the most technically advanced |
| money to be spent on high-speed fibre networks still | | | | nation when it comes to broadband - with customers |
| raging, is it really all about connection speed? | | | | in the cities enjoying average speeds of between 50 |
| According to a recent survey, some 21 million Brits | | | | to 100Mbps (Megabits per second) - consider that a |
| (or around 63% of those online) visited sites related | | | | typical 5 minute music file takes roughly one and a |
| to multimedia - including TV, movie and video sites - | | | | half minutes to download on a 512K connection, |
| and services such as YouTube and BBC iPlayer have | | | | where as in direct comparison - on an 8Mbps |
| seen increases in visitors as internet habits change | | | | connection the download would be instantaneous. |
| constantly. | | | | Online gaming in Korea is very popular, and with |
| Gone are the days when hopping online used to be | | | | cheap broadband services offering high bandwidth |
| just to check e-mails and do a bit of surfing - with | | | | and fast download speeds, which in turn leads to |
| most of the traffic online now pointing towards | | | | faster upload speeds - a must for professional |
| video-dominated applications and social networking | | | | gamers. |
| sites. Virtual worlds such as Second Life are also | | | | Whilst online gaming is likely to take a percentage of |
| evolving, and a faster connection would allow for HD | | | | the next-generation broadband capacity, few think it |
| 2-way video conferencing - paving the way for | | | | could be the application that makes a big impression |
| events such as concerts and other performances to | | | | in the mass market. |
| take place in a virtual setting. | | | | Television is also changing, broadband providers now |
| But whilst faster broadband would seem to benefit | | | | offering a range of services to stream signals down |
| online gamers, the demand for more bandwidth from | | | | our phone lines and provide us with internet, phone |
| the general population is still low, and there are still | | | | and television down the same line. The popularity of |
| issues to be solved with regards to the existing | | | | sites such as YouTube has led to a change in our |
| broadband infrastructure. The fluctuating 'supply and | | | | viewing habits - with a percentage of us now |
| demand' factor of broadband means companies such | | | | choosing to view shows streamed over our |
| as BT face a 'chicken and egg' dilemma about | | | | broadband connection. |