North Somerset Council has announced that it is to organise its much-anticipate high speed broadband outlay in the area on the basis of the findings of a detailed questionnaire to local households and businesses.
The council has been granted government assistance to provide high speed broadband for the North Somerset area.
As a result of the intended investment, it is anticipated that 1,000 businesses and over 20,000 private homes in the region will, by 2015, have been offered fast broadband speeds ranging from 20 Mbps and 50 Mbps.
The council says that the aim of its survey is to ensure that all potential beneficiaries are able to convey their needs and opinions regarding the scheme at the outset.
The council is also co-operating with Somerset County Council, Devon County Council, Torbay Council, and Plymouth City Council, to try and maximise the geographical spread of the broadband outlay.
Director of development and environment at North Somerset Council, David Turner, claims that the project will supersede all other government-backed broadband schemes in terms of ambition.
The benefits of high speed broadband of course include the capability of using internet protocol (IP) telephony services such as business VoIP (voice over internet protocol).
Business VoIP, with its benefits including the ability to offer companies lower call costs; and greater flexibility as to where, geographically, phone calls can be made and received at an identical rate; is currently becoming much sought after by businesses both large and small the world over.
It is in this context that deputy chairman of the Federation of Communication Services, Dave Dadds, recently commented that the expansion of high speed broadband in the UK can only help to emphasise the importance of VoIP as the communications vehicle of the future.
