Satellite Broadband drives rural areas back into business
by
Satellite Broadband drives rural areas back into business
Companies trying to run a successful business from a rural area have always faced bigger challenges than city based organisations. With the internet, and in particular 
social media now playing such a crucial role in building and retaining a loyal client base, it was feared that those with no dial-up access would suffer greatly.
Many broadband providers do not deem rural areas to be as profitable enough to warrant any investment, and have abandoned them as a consequence.
Modern day marketing
Statistics for 2013 show that there are roughly 33 million Facebook users and 34 million Twitter account holders in the U.K, which means any company hoping for client engagement without using social media are just burying their heads in the sand.
A slow dial-up connection will simply not cut the mustard when it comes to the fast paced nature of sharing information across the various social media platforms. As approximately 20% of businesses are located in rural areas, it is a sizeable enough chunk of the British economy that broadband providers cannot ignore.
Help from above
In response to this, a number of support groups have formed to fight the cause for businesses considered to be out in the sticks, and the results have been encouraging to say the least. In November 2011, The Devon and Somerset Rural Connection Scheme formed and have already been given big thumbs up from many delighted customers.
Not only did they benefit from impressive 20 Mb satellite broadband connection speeds; they were also given complimentary kits, free installation and on-going support. Devon council asked participants to complete a survey in order to monitor the campaigns success, with users saying the scheme had played a crucial part in the development of their business.
Dial-up drudgery
Andrew Walwyn CEO of Europasat said:
“For five years, we’ve been trying hard to reach the consumers still subject to the drudgery of dial-up, to show them that satellite broadband is the perfect alternative if they can’t get broadband over wires. The feedback we’ve had from those we’ve spoken to so far is that they simply didn’t realise that the satellite alternative existed or how fast modern satellite internet solutions are.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Sid Madge, founder of Meee shares his tips on starting as you mean to go on, by getting the very best from your staff in 60 seconds
Transforming how we consume fashion - By Rotation is a peer-to-peer fashion rental app that will empower you to do good for your wardrobe, your wallet and planet
Bwalya Kasase, Business Process Consultant at Rebel Energy shares insights on how the renewable energy supplier uses digital workers to improve the customer experience
Peppy secures major investment to help scale its existing menopause, fertility, pregnancy and early parenthood support, and support the introduction of a range of new services.
One Year No Beer, the alcohol-free support service fundraises to scale its business following reports indicating huge surge in alcohol-related deaths since Covid.
The lowdown on Junk Kouture, the Irish-based global platform that's on a mission to unleash the creative brilliance of young people
Considering selling your startup's tech innovation to the healthcare industry? These tips from Evelyne Priestman, Health Economist, Health Enterprise East should help...
Wilton London exceeds crowdfunding target to support its aim of becoming the UK’s number one eco household cleaning brand
TestGorilla is a startup that's on a mission to help you identify the best candidates and make your hiring decisions faster, easier, and bias-free
Major investment for her1, the digital health impact company that's dedicated entirely to female wellbeing...
Published on: 21st January 2014
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Peppy Raises £6.6M for its digital health platform 27th Jul 2021 Peppy secures major investment to help scale its existing menopause, fertility, pregnancy and early parenthood support, and support the introduction of a range of new services.
- One Year No Beer launches new £500K crowdfunding campaign 26th Jul 2021 One Year No Beer, the alcohol-free support service fundraises to scale its business following reports indicating huge surge in alcohol-related deaths since Covid.
- Smart Nano NI awarded £42.4m funding from UKRI 22nd Jul 2021 Major boost for the NI economy as nanotechnology consortium, Smart Nano NI awarded £42.4m by the Strength in Places Fund to support development of new technology for medical devices, communication and data storage.
- Ntropy Raises $3.2M for its innovative data platform 20th Jul 2021 Ntropy secures major investment to help with expansion of its team, support market growth and future product development.
