Wireless broadband has been given the green light to be rolled out across the entire country, including rural areas, Ofcom has announced.

The regulator has altered rules for the 5.8 GHz band which will enable operators to pump up signal strength.

The power increase in this band will make it cheaper for operators to use this band to provide fixed broadband access to remote parts of the UK and Ofcom expects that areas of countryside that have not previously been able to get broadband could find that they now can.

Ofcom's recent Communications Market Report revealed that 41 per cent of adults in rural areas had broadband at home compared to 45 per cent of adults in urban areas.

Chief executive Ed Richards said: "This measure means communities across the country may be able to benefit from access to a new form of broadband. That is what closing the digital divide is all about."

Revent government figures showed that almost 60 per cent of all UK households were able to access the internet from home and nearly 70 per cent of these did so via broadband.

Thursday, 31st May 2007

Back to Broadband News

Provider	Package	Speed	Download Limit	Setup Cost	Monthly Cost	More Info
	O2 Broadband - Standard	Up To 8Mbps	Unlimited *	FREE	£7.50	Go >>
	TalkTalk Broadband - Essentials	Up To 8Mbps	40GB	£29.99	£6.49	Go >>
	BT Broadband - Option 1	Up To 8Mbps	10GB	FREE	£7.78	Go >>
	BT Broadband - Option 2	Up To 8Mbps	15GB	FREE	£13.69	Go >>
	Virgin Media Broadband - M - Cable	Up To 2Mbps	Unlimited *	£30.00	£4.50	Go >>

* Fair Usage Policy applies. Click on Go to find out more information and Fair Usage Policy conditions for relevant providers.

** All Costs excludes the cost of line rental.

† Speeds in excess of 2 meg are only available in certain areas. Top speeds vary significantly, particularly according to how far away you live from the exchange.
If your line won’t support our fastest broadband speed we’ll give you the best available. The speed you actually get can also vary depending on the quality of your line, the wiring in your house, the time of day and even the weather.