Community broadband spreads across the UK

By Steve Malone

Posted on 2 Mar 2005 at 12:29

While BT has been trumpeting 96 per cent coverage of broadband across the UK, a whole raft of community broadband networks are spreading across rural areas. Community broadband is said to be breathing new life into areas that previously feared that they would end up on the wrong side of the digital divide.

According to a report by the Community Broadband Network, there are now 550 broadband initiatives across the UK.

Based on low cost wireless technology, half the projects have less that 50 subscribers and another 40 per cent having between 50 and 500 users, the remainder having some 500 to 1000 users.

The report concludes that around 50,000 households and SMEs are currently using community broadband services throughout the country, totalling around one per cent of British broadband users.