The Federation of Small Businesses is the UK’s largest campaigning pressure group promoting and protecting the interests of the self-employed and owners of small firms. Formed in 1974, it now has around 200,000 members nationally, 5,000 of those in Greater Manchester and north Cheshire.
Simon Edmondson, FSB Regional Chairman, writes…
A NEW report published in March by the All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group revealed UK businesses still lag behind many of our EU and other G7 counterparts in productivity terms.
The report, which was supported by the FSB, identified seven drivers to address this and help firms close the gap on rival economies.
The second of these recommendations was universal access to high quality, affordable broadband.
Digital technologies, the report says, are fundamentally altering the nature of business, and those firms not connected will struggle to grow. Better broadband for small businesses is essential if the UK is to compete in high-value global markets.
The good news for businesses here in Saddleworth is that super fast broadband, if it hasn’t already, is coming very soon. In fact, by June 2016, 99 per cent of premises – business and domestic – in the region should have access to speeds of a minimum of 20mbps.
And by March 2017, just 0.8 per cent of Greater Manchester will be without access to high speed fibre optic broadband, and those that don’t will be, in the main, extreme rural areas.
The new fibre optic capability means unlike old-fashioned copper wiring, speeds are potentially possible of around 330mbps. Of course, if a business wants a connection that fast, it’s going to be reflected in the price. The point is though that the access will be there.
The other important point about this project is that while it may be BT installing the cabinets and the infrastructure, they are not the only game in town, and don’t have to be your supplier.
Think of gas pipes used to get the fuel to homes and businesses. Only one pipe carries the gas, but it’s the individual consumer who picks their end supplier. It’s much the same with the broadband, but chose suppliers carefully as not all run the same speeds for the same prices.
Fibre works well for businesses of all types and sizes in a wide range of sectors. It can enable businesses to be much more effective and efficient and the additional capability can allow new technologies and software to be introduced, such as cloud data retrieval, digital invoicing, and offer better mobile capability for staff for new ways of working.
In short, the future of most businesses will largely hinge on faster broadband. This is a digital revolution all businesses should embrace and strive for.
Check whether your business is near one of the new high-speed cabinets being rolled out, using a postcode checker at www.get-digital-faster.info
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