Any connected business can use broadband to achieve real business benefits. It can help you lower your costs (through streamlining your processes), reach new markets (for example by having a foreign language website), retain your existing customers (say, by using email newsletters and special offer marketing), and to train and develop your staff.

Also, broadband offers cost-effective, fast and immediate access to wide range of internet resources. You will be able to find examples of businesses using broadband effectively in our collection of case studies.

One of the great benefits of broadband is the permanent always-on Internet connection it provides. Remember, though, that you will need to set up appropriate security measures to limit your exposure to viruses and other e-business risks.

The East of England Development Agency’s (EEDA) award winning campaign to demand broadband has led to over 16,000 registrations and nearly all the people who registered had broadband in 2004. Improving broadband access the whole of the UK, especially in rural areas, is one of the Government’s top priorities. While coverage of broadband will reach close to 100% in urban and suburban areas by 2006, 16% of rural areas and 2% of the region’s population will have no coverage and EEDA is playing a crucial role in ensuring coverage increases.

A scheme part funded by EEDA entitled RABBIT (The Remote Area Broadband Inclusion Trial) looked to support SMEs in areas that couldn’t receive appropriate ADSL or Cable Modem solutions. Although funding for the scheme has since ceased, their website contains useful background information and links to companies offering broadband solutions.

To find out if broadband is available in your area, click on the link below and enter your telephone number or postcode:-

http://62.172.198.79/broadband1/index.asp  


Below are some examples of how broadband can benefit your business:

- Marketing Benefits
- Enables innovative promotion of products and services.
- Enables new product and service delivery channel.
- Provides innovative sales opportunities that can deliver greater profits.
- Allows purchasing and marketing of products and services globally.
- Increases the speed of access to both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets.


Process Benefits

- Allows separation of design from production.
- Can cut the cost of customer service.
- Can help increase competitor advantage.
- Provides real time performance monitoring, targeting and sales prioritization.
- Enables product and service re-engineering.
- Provides improved information exchange and richer communications (for example, video mail).


Cultural Benefits

- Allows global working through the internet – “live local, work global”.
- Enables companies to “think big, act small”.
- Provides the opportunity to change the way we work, for example, home working / remote research.
- Offers better access to life long learning opportunities.

(This information has been kindly provided by www.scottish-enterprise.com )


For further information please email economicregen@waveney.gov.uk  

Top of page