Broadband coverage – Open Market Review

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Background

The Government wants to have nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible. While great progress is being made, the Government is aware it needs to help in the parts of the country that are not commercially viable.

£5bn was committed in the 2020 budget to ensure that all areas of the UK can benefit equally. The funding will be spent through a range of projects known as the UK Gigabit Programme. As part of this, Building Digital UK (BDUK) will fund contracts for suppliers to deliver gigabit-capable wholesale infrastructure to the hardest to reach areas.

Open Market Review with suppliers

Durham County Council are running an Open Market Review (OMR) data collection process for the entire North East of England region alongside BDUK and local council partners. Broadband providers are invited to supply information about their infrastructure as part of the OMR process.

If you have existing network coverage, or plan to build infrastructure within the next three years, we actively encourage you to respond to this OMR. The information will be used to identify a draft ‘Intervention Area’ where public subsidy can potentially be used by Government to deliver gigabit capable broadband, and ensure it is only used in areas where there is no existing gigabit capable infrastructure or future commercial plans to provide it.

Further information is available on the Durham County Council website at: http://www.durham.gov.uk/consultation

Accessing Computer Equipment

Technology has become a huge part of everyday life – such as for communication, work, e-learning, job searches, paying bills, shopping online and staying connected with loved ones.

Support may be available to help you get access to low-cost computer equipment. Several potential schemes are outlined below, and more information can be found by clicking on the scheme name

Scheme	Who is it for	What’s on offer	Brief overview
Germinate: Arthur Rank Centre	Anyone in a rural community	Refurbished desktop PCs, laptops and tablets	Devices start at £130 providing you meet the eligibility criteria.
Digital Drive	Businesses based in County Durham	Grant funding up to 40%	Grants can be used to support digital consultancy projects; equipment that will help your business to improve through the use of digital technology; website, software or app development; or the installation of broadband infrastructure providing you meet the eligibility criteria.
Reboot	Registered charities and social enterprises based in County Durham	Refurbished desktop PCs, laptops and tablets	Devices start at £75 providing you meet the eligibility criteria.
Family Fund	Families who are raising seriously ill or permanently disabled children	Grants of up to £500	Grants can be used for a variety of activities including the purchase of computers.
Get Online @ Home	Anyone	Refurbished desktop PCs, laptops and tablets	Devices start at £99 providing you meet the eligibility criteria.

Digital Durham is not directly affiliated with any of the schemes other than Reboot and Digital Drive. Please ensure to check the terms and conditions before making a purchase or applying to a scheme.

Alternative broadband options to fixed line

If you find yourself without access to decent broadband speeds – what are the potential alternative options?

4G broadband with an antenna

4G broadband can provide superfast download speed of 30Mbps to some areas. Your chosen provider should be able to advise what speeds you should expect.

If you find you struggle to get a 4G signal inside your home, you might benefit from a compatible external antenna to your property. The antenna will pick up an outdoor 4G signal and feed it straight to your router. You can then connect your devices wirelessly to the router.

It’s considered good for browsing, gaming, streaming and uploading.

Unlimited data packages are not available, and the package costs increase depending on the amount of data required.

Key points:

Superfast broadband speeds may be available – the speeds available to your property would need to be confirmed by a provider as they can vary.
A 4G external antenna, which is usually small, should be much more effective at picking up a 4G signal than a mobile phone.
This is thought to be a good option as long as you have a good outdoor 4G signal.
There are currently no unlimited data packages available, but there are some reasonably priced plans available with relatively decent data volumes.
4G is generally considered to be faster and more reliable than satellite broadband.

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)

FWA can provide superfast download speeds of 30Mbps. The exact speeds received depend on many factors, but the distance of your property to the mast and the number of obstructions are the two key elements. For this reason, providers will not usually guarantee service until a site visit has taken place.

The provider would install a router and mobile antenna, which is usually small, onto the side of your property.

It’s considered to be good for online browsing, gaming, streaming and file transfers. Some operators offer unlimited packages (subject to an acceptable usage policy) which means you don’t need to worry about data limits.

Whilst there isn’t extensive coverage in County Durham it appears to be growing. You can check if FWA is available to your property and find out more about the service by contacting these providers:

Key points:

Superfast broadband speeds may be available through Fixed Wireless Access – this would need to be confirmed by a provider as speeds can vary.
Unlimited data packages are available from some providers which means you don’t need to worry about data limits.
Services are not widely accessible, and you will need to check if coverage is available to your property with each provider.

Satellite broadband

Satellite broadband provides a connection that uses satellite signals to send and receive data. The main advantage is that it can be provided virtually anywhere in the world, as long as you have a clear line of sight to the south generally.

To get satellite broadband, a provider will need to install a satellite dish to your property, rather like you would for satellite television.

You’ll also need a modem installed inside your house, with wires connecting it to the satellite dish, and usually a wireless router as well.

An installation should only take a few hours and be no more disruptive than a satellite TV fitting.

Although the package costs are comparable to standard (ADSL) or fibre-based broadband packages, you’re not really getting like for like as satellite broadband usually has a limited data allowance. Unlimited satellite packages are available but can be extremely costly.

A common complaint is the lag satellite broadband tends to have, known as latency. This is due to the time it takes the signal to get to and from the satellite. This might not affect general internet use, but it can cause problems for gamers who play in real time as they could find it makes games unplayable.

Key points:

Satellite broadband is an option for decent internet speeds and may be the only option currently for some rural locations.
It can be expensive, both in terms of the monthly package charges and installation fees.
The latency tends to be high, making it unsuitable for some types of internet activity such as online gaming.

Digital Drive – SME support & funding

Digital Drive is a £4m initiative that aims to help SMEs in County Durham to maximise their growth potential and sustainability through digital technology.

The initiative offers*:

One to one business support to help with strategic business planning, digital marketing and guidance on digital technologies that could be beneficial;
Fully funded masterclasses and conferences covering topics such as digital transformation, digital content and search engine optimisation;
Digital Health Check to assess your online presence, review your digital skills and provide advice on the best use of technology for your business;
Grant funds of up to 40% to support digital consultancy projects; equipment that will help your business to improve through the use of digital technology; website, software or app development; or the installation of broadband infrastructure.

*All support and funding is subject to eligibility criteria.

Digital Drive is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Business Durham, which works on behalf of Durham County Council, and private investment. The initiative forms part of the wider Digital Durham initiative to improve broadband speeds for residents and businesses across the North East.

Interested in finding out more

Contact Digital Drive to register for support, events and funding opportunities, through one of the contact methods below:

Website: www.digitaldrivedurham.co.uk

Email: info@digitaldrivedurham.co.uk

Phone: 0191 389 8458

Getting Your Business Online

It is now more important than ever to ensure your business has an online presence, but what are some sure-fire ways to carve out your own online footprint? We’ll be highlighting some key areas to that will help get your enterprise the digital platform it deserves.

Website

Creating a website can be daunting. Most budding entrepreneurs don’t have access to large amounts of cash to throw at fancy web developers or possess the coding knowledge to create a sleek and stylish page on their own.

Don’t fret! There are plenty of options to help you create a clean and cool web page for a relatively low cost (and sometimes, even free). Sites like Wordpress, Squarespace and Wix provide users with the opportunity to create budget, customisable websites without the need for any coding skills. Using these type of companies can help you stand out against others in your sector by providing you with a modern-looking site and giving you the support to maintain it.

Most of these companies provide you with security, backups, software updates and online guides, making your venture in to the online world that little bit more relaxing

Social Media

Whether you like it or not, social media has become a part of many of our daily routines. Whether you find yourself scrolling through Instagram on the bus to work, or checking in with your relatives on Facebook, social media is prevalent in our society.

Getting online and creating a page for your business can help you keep in touch with customers, advertise your products or services and help to give a personality to your enterprise. Each social media site is different, so be sure to swot up on the do’s and don’ts before you indulge; there are tonnes of examples of companies failing to get their tone right and not running their sites effectively.

See below for some handy tips and hints from digital marketers on how to create an effective social media page for your business.

Google

With 3.5bn searches per day, its not hard to see why listing your business on Google can help you gain some exposure. Google’s Google My Business feature allows owners to register their business, providing further detail like address, opening times and pictures, to help potential customers find more info on your enterprise. This function also provides customers with the ability to post a quick review of your business, assigning you a rating out of five stars and leaving space to detail their experience should they wish.

Say, for example, you run a butcher shop. If someone was looking to find butchers in Durham city, they would type “Durham city butchers” and a list of options would be provided to them, detailing location, opening hours and how well they’re rated.

This service that Google provides also gives you the opportunity to access bite-sized lessons on marketing and the ability to get help from experts in their online community.

Ensuring you have a presence on Google can help new customers find you, instead of your competition.

Gone are the days where you need to be tech god to create an online presence. Getting your business online is becoming easier, less time intensive and helps you compete in an ever-growing marketplace. An online presence can be what separates you from a competitor, giving you an advantage and helping you grow your business even further!

While you’re here, why not check out another on of our business-focused posts? Click here to learn how fibre broadband can help your business!