Plans Announced For UK to Get Better Internet When Travelling

[engine]

It's needed, for sure. Unless you're in a major city, Internet connectivity on-the-go is still very poor.

People on boats, planes and trains could soon enjoy fast broadband on their travels after Ofcom approved the use of new satellite technology.

The UK telecoms regulator has given the green light to the use of so-called earth stations on moving vehicles.

The devices connect to a geostationary satellite orbiting above the equator.

But critics suggest Ofcom should be concentrating on bringing home-broadband services up to speed before focusing on transport.Plans Announced For UK to Get Better Internet When Travelling [bbc.co.uk]

Speeds could be reach around 50Mbps (megabits per second) to a single earth station, which would mean speeds of more than 10Mbps for individual passengers.

That speed quoted is something we can only dream about. For some, it's way faster than they get at home.

"The real solution for internet connectivity on the move in the UK is for there to be a concerted effort to ensure that all the rail network has access to 2G, 3G and 4G services," said Andrew Ferguson, founder of broadband news site ThinkBroadband.

That seems a much better solution for transport systems.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Personally I am willing to put up with ropey broadband when traveling. I agree with the critics that home broadband should be the priority.

(I use superfast cable so I personally don't have a problem.) ;)

[engine]

Ropey! I'd say that it's not that reliable outside of the major towns. If you're trying to work while travelling it can be very bad, and that's lost productivity, ultimately helping lose the country money.

[piatkow]

3G on my phone or with a dongle is fine for me. If I want a movie on the move I'll download it first or get a DVD.

I don't like "free" wifi as it just means signing up for spam. If only my mobile provider would give me 100% coverage.

Actually I get better speeds at home in a commuter village than afriend does in east London with the same provider. Just fewer people on the line I imagine.

[engine]

Many of the places I travel to have very limited Internet coverage. Sometimes, there not even a phone signal!

When you have a concentration of customers on, for example, a train, it should be easier to arrange for cell coverage.

Downloading a movie ought to be a lower priority to actually getting some coverage, imho.