89% of UK businesses would consider switching to wireless broadband, says report
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89% of UK businesses would consider switching to wireless broadband, says report

Cambridge Broadband Networks (CBNL), a provider of licensed point-to-multipoint (PMP) microwave and millimetre wave, has announced the results of its UK Enterprise Broadband Index.

According to the survey findings 89% of UK businesses said they would consider switching to wireless broadband. It also found that many said that poor broadband connectivity has impacted its performance over the two years but 56% have not changed provider. When asked why they decided to stay with said provider, 32% of businesses wanted to avoid disruption, 23% said they were tied into lengthy contracts and 16% said they were restricted to services provided as part of a building lease. Interestingly, 10% suggested they would change at the earliest opportunity.

The results highlight the opportunity for disruptive wireless carriers, as well as the challenge that UK businesses have in finding and switching providers.  

Commenting on the data, Lionel Chmilewsky, CEO of CBNL, said: “It’s clear that a growing number of businesses find their connectivity requirements are growing faster than many broadband services can keep up with. To promote economic growth, it is essential that businesses have access to a greater range of agile broadband solutions which can scale more effectively with demand. This trend is likely to see operators drive more innovation into networks over the coming years, leverage emerging technology and develop 5G fixed wireless services.”  

Additionally the survey found that: 47% of UK businesses are not receiving the broadband speeds advertised by their provider, 35% said that they have been negatively impacted by slow broadband speeds, while 34% experienced significant periods of network downtime. 

The report also found that 56% of UK businesses spend less than 30% of their IT budget on connectivity, with less than half of all respondents planning on increasing that expenditure over the next 12 months.

Chmilewsky concluded in saying: “This data shows the vital role high capacity wireless can play, providing a more attractive business case to connect under-served businesses and quickly scale existing networks to multi-gigabit speeds. More specifically, the data shows the benefits that 26GHz can bring to the UK enterprise market and the value of Ofcom’s decision to call for inputs to inform their programme of work to make spectrum in the band available for 5G.

"Increasing availability of millimetre wave, such as this, is vital to stimulate broadband investment across global markets, enabling operators to unlock the capacity of high band spectrum and bring more competitive services to market. We’ve seen through our own work in deploying networks in over 50 countries, including for seven of the top 10 largest mobile operator groups, the positive impact this can have on economies. Leveraging innovative techniques, such as this, is key to addressing gaps in broadband service and providing the next generation connectivity that will be central to the long-term success of UK plc.”

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