Rural Businesses need Fast, Reliable Internet Connections Too

For some people, living, working and running a business in a rural area is an ideal situation. The countryside offers tranquillity and beauty far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. Unfortunately, a poor or non-existent internet connection often offsets these benefits — which is bad for business. According to SingTel Satellite, in fact, to remain on top of the competition, as well as to maintain production, on-site efficiency, and increased security, rural business owners should make sure that they have access to high speed and reliable communications.

As of the moment, unfortunately, urban and highly populated areas have been the focus of commercial investment. This concentration on specific areas are alienating the more rural and hard-to-reach areas of the world.

Why is a Fast Internet Connection Important?

A high-speed internet connection enables rural businesses to expand their reach far beyond their geographic base. Furthermore, it tears down communication barriers related to time and distance. The availability of high-speed internet connection can result to the development of a whole economy and country.

Challenges and Barriers to Providing Rural Broadband

There are the two main challenges to providing broadband to the countryside. The first has to do with the remoteness of a location: establishment of a reliable internet connection is difficult to implement when the area is mountainous or island-based. This brings us to the second issue: prohibitive costs. When a location is very remote, the equipment and labour needed to establish a site far outweighs the potential for Return On Investment (ROI). Even if the government subsidises the expansion of rural broadband networks, the budget allocated for each area may not always be sufficient to cover all the costs involved.

A Possible Solution

A good strategy is to build a fixed wireless (microwave) network that can offer super fast broadband connections to areas that have poor broadband facilities or to areas that cannot receive internet access due to its remote location and financial constraints. It is a good alternative to a fibre connection as there will always be areas that cannot and will not receive broadband through fibre.

The geographical location of a business need not be a hindrance to fast, reliable internet connection. Technology, specifically the power of wireless networks, now makes it possible to have good fast internet connection speeds regardless of the business location.