I`m delighted to report that my household has become a statistic. Anyone watching the IT press in the UK last week will have noticed the reports discussing the UK`s broadband milestone of one million connections. The government announced early last week that 500 000 people have signed up in the last six months, and that 20 000 people per week are signing up now. Far be it from me to avoid the bandwidth bandwagon...
And though the UK`s e-commerce minister Stephen Timms may have been overly aggrandising when he said: "It took five years for the UK to see a million people using mobile phones. At this pace, the UK is well on its way to being the most extensive and competitive market for broadband in the world", it`s somewhat comforting to know that things are heading in the right direction.
For the average user, once the initial euphoria of watching one`s favourite Web page download really, really fast has subsided, the question of 'what now?` may begin to rear its mildly disappointing head.
Basheera Khan, UK correspondent, ITWeb
It`s been quite interesting watching the competition between various service providers heat up, and the coverage thereof in the IT press. The marketing has been largely run of the mill, but one campaign in particular stands out as being a classic example of the sort of advertising shenanigans that deserve a firm smack on the wrist.
BT`s cinematic and television adverts for its broadband services depict numerous fantastic scenarios bursting into being, such as characters from a popular game coming to life in the middle of a crowded shopping mall, and a rhinoceros falling out of thin air to crush a Jeep parked by the side of the road. My personal favourite is the three-headed dragon which threatens the destruction of everything in its sight before it too is banished back into the pipe by the harried yet capable BT engineer. The payoff line?
"Broadband has landed."
It`s a complete misrepresentation of the nature of broadband, and its place in the natural order of the telecommunications universe. BT makes it out to be a magical new technology that will change the world forever.
Fact is, it is nothing more than a high-speed Internet connection. For the average UK user, being able to download Web pages and send and receive e-mail just that much faster isn`t going to have a dramatically life-changing impact.
It`s the applications that make a difference, and the degree to which one lives one`s life through the digital medium that determines the singular joy which a high-speed connection can bring. Online gamers, businesses of all sizes, MP3 addicts and the like will all find a use for an always-on, high-speed Internet connection. For the average user, once the initial euphoria of watching one`s favourite Web page download really, really fast has subsided, the question of 'what now?` may begin to rear its mildly disappointing head.
The digital divide and all that
A quick update on a subject dear to my heart - that of applied technology making a difference to the developing countries of this world. BBC Online has compiled an in-depth feature reporting on how applied technology is changing the lives of some in Senegal and Bangladesh.
It`s a thoroughly interesting read, and at the risk of provoking the wrath of the deep-linking police, you can find it here.
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