The upcoming general election could be decided on the merits of the various parties’ broadband plans according to experts.

The Conservative party is attempting to avoid a hung parliament, but the issue of rural broadband availability might scupper its bid for leadership as voters in the more isolated regions could be left out under its current strategies.

Analyst firm Point Topic has pointed out that the Conservative heartland is traditionally located in rural communities and that members of these constituencies will be hit the hardest if the party is elected.

This conclusion has been reached because Labour’s proposed broadband tax is something that the Tories are planning to scrap. This tax would be used to fund the expansion of broadband to areas in which current coverage is limited and speeds are inadequate.

By opposing the tax, Tories could risk alienating their core supporters, leaving them in a rather difficult situation.

Researchers worked out that of the 253 constituencies which are currently suffering from minimal broadband availability, the Conservatives could end up in control of up to 138 after the election.

The Conservatives had planned on investment being sourced from within the telecoms industry, with backing from big business. If this was possible, the tax would become redundant, but it looks as though the necessary funds will require some public money to meet the figures necessary to provide truly universal broadband access.

Simple Broadband’s Communications Manager Simon Gerrard said “All political parties will be looking hard at the broadband market in order to assess the kinds of services that UK citizens will need over the coming decade. Broadband is an essential commodity in the eyes of many and those areas which cannot be serviced with BT broadband deals will not want to miss out.”

The legal wrangling that has afflicted the sale and allocation of the digital spectrum may soon come to an end, with the UK government planning on holding auctions before 2010 is over.

The spectrum that is currently being disputed will eventually provide better mobile broadband availability and speeds for UK customers and it is hoped that the first services using it will be in operation by 2012.

Industry regulator Ofcom and the Department of Business Innovation and Skills ratified plans to sell the spectrum last week, signalling the conclusion of a long period of consultation that began in mid 2009.

Minister Stephen Timms said that the government had ensured that public interests were being protected under the new plans, but also confirmed that the business benefits would be considerable if the plans for the mobile broadband spectrum were instigated.

Mr Timms also said that high speed mobile broadband access would be available to a large proportion of the population as a result of the new plans.

The plans had to undergo some revisions after Orange and T-Mobile finalised a merger deal that was subsequently approved by the EU. The most important change for the networks and the public is the obligatory roll-out of near universal mobile broadband coverage falling at the feet of whichever organisation buys the 800MHz spectrum.

The range that is currently utilised by ageing 2G networking technology will be replaced with 3G and eventually 4G under the new plans and most mobile broadband providers will be able to make substantial improvements to their services as a result.

Experts believe that the auction will take place in early 2011. Simple Broadband’s Simon Gerrard said “The improvements that must now be made to the speed and availability of mobile broadband are exciting for all and incentives such as the Orange mobile broadband free laptop deal could soon be accompanied by tempting 4G options.”

It has recently been confirmed that Virgin Media will begin offering its next-generation broadband services to homes and businesses around the UK later this year, with download speeds of up to 100Mbps available to those living in cabled areas.

Virgin Media’s current flagship broadband package, which uses fibre optic technology to provide the most consistent speeds possible, is rated at up to 50Mbps for downloads and so the new service would double this potential.

A spokesperson for Virgin Media said that in some areas it would be able to provide business customers with 200Mbps connections, which would make the majority of BT business broadband packages look a little long in the tooth.

Although Virgin Media is pushing its 100Mbps service, a BT representative said that in fact the cable broadband provider was only just catching up with BT. It is claimed that 100Mbps connections are already enjoyed by BT business customers, with the BT customer base being considerably larger, with 25 per cent more subscribers.

Virgin Media hopes to bring 100Mbps broadband to every one of its customers by 2011, but it aims to offer it in some areas before 2010 is out. No further information as to pricing was provided, but Virgin Media is continuing to expand its operations and increase its annual revenue, with a 3.3 per cent rise in 2009.

Simple Broadband’s Communication Manager Simon Gerrard said “Virgin Media is definitely upping the stakes in both the home and business broadband markets and with 100Mbps and even 200Mbps broadband coming online in the near future, the UK will no longer be languishing in the middle of the international league tables for average download speeds. We can only hope that Virgin Media rolls out its fibre optic networks to encompass even more UK customers”.

Apple’s iPad is making a big impact in the world of mobile broadband and with its April launch date set, many UK customers will be interested to see whether the new tablet computer will make a difference to the way in which we use the internet whilst we are at home and on the move.

The iPad will initially be available with built in Wi-Fi connectivity, although the major networks are more interested in how it will fare when 3G compatibility arrives with a subsequent release.

With 3G on board, mobile broadband providers will be able to ship the iPad to consumers without the need for a dongle and allow them to connect anywhere that their 3G networks are available.

Apple executives are arriving in the UK to meet with the management teams behind the mobile broadband networks and lengthy talks followed by the possibility of a bidding war for the mobile broadband enabled version are likely to ensue.

There is a chance that wireless broadband prices for the iPad will be a little different than for other mobile broadband offerings.

Firstly it will have to be offered as part of a long term deal in the same way that free laptops are currently bundled with mobile broadband. Secondly, Apple may well demand up to 30 per cent of the revenue that the networks derive from data usage charges, as it currently does this with its iPhone handset.

At the moment there is no news in regard to which mobile broadband providers will actually offer the iPad when it arrives, but all of the major UK networks have expressed interest in the technology.

Simple Broadband’s Communications Manager Simon Gerrard said “The iPad will make an interesting alternative to mobile broadband deals which include free laptops, but its impact on wireless broadband prices remains to be seen.”

A new government target aimed at increasing the number of UK subscribers to broadband has been revealed, with plans to get an additional seven million people connected at high speeds within the next four years.

The Digital Participation Plan was laid out by Stephen Timms, who is the minister at the helm of the government’s Digital Britain initiative. It hopes to reduce the number of people who do not currently have broadband connections by 60 per cent. This is a fairly ambitious plan since that figure currently stands at 12.5 million.

Mr Timms is hoping that the groups who will be helped by the campaign will be those on lower incomes and the elderly, as both are typically ignored by traditional broadband advertising, or put off by the high cost of certain services.

A total of 60 organisations from the public and private sector are set to become involved with the Digital Participation Plan, which should mean that it will have a significant impact around the country. It should make BT broadband options more affordable and attractive to those who have not jumped on the broadband bandwagon.

Access to the internet at broadband speeds is considered to be essential for active participation in the modern era, at both a commercial and cultural level, according to Mr Timms.

The creative and communicative potential offered by broadband is at the heart of the new initiative’s ideology and the initiative will hopefully eradicate the disparity between those who are currently connected and those who are unable to, for whatever reason.

Simple Broadband’s Communication Manager Simon Gerrard said “It is great to see the government getting enthusiastic about broadband, as it is becoming an integral part of our society. BT broadband options are an obvious point at which a potential broadband customer can start to understand the current offerings, although comparing the market for the best deal is the optimum way in which to save money in the longer run.”

A new report suggests that UK businesses will benefit significantly if the government’s targets for blanket broadband coverage are met.

Broadband is now considered to be an essential commodity for home users as well as business customers and although the importance of high speed broadband for businesses is well known, it is equally important that sufficient customers are able to get online and access services in driving revenues.

According to a new report authored by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), UK businesses could net an additional £1.4 billion in ad revenue if every household in the UK is given access to a 2Mbps (minimum) broadband connection, which is the government’s plan.

It is estimated that nearly five per cent of UK citizens are stuck with sluggish dial-up internet connections, whilst many more have no kind of internet access at all in their homes. This means that there is an untapped market out there from which businesses could benefit if universal broadband becomes a reality.

The IPA believes that nearly 37 per cent of consumers would make a purchase online if their internet experience was boosted with a broadband connection, which would make ad space more valuable and drive further revenue for businesses in all sectors.

The IPA’s Nigel Gwilliam noted the degree to which broadband had shaped market trends and influenced the behaviour of consumers online. Mr Gwilliam also said that the new report was the first of its kind, demonstrating that home broadband connectivity was directly linked into the success of businesses.

Simple Broadband’s Communication Manager Simon Gerrard added that “Businesses will benefit hugely from the arrival of universal broadband and the best news is that the opportunities will be relevant to any enterprise from any background with the ambition to make waves online.”

ISP Eclipse Internet has said that it will be allowing consumers to sign up for two new cheap cable broadband packages as of April 2010.

The deals will offer download speeds of up to 40Mbps, coupled with maximum upload speeds of 10Mbps and Eclipse is using the same fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) technology that BT has introduced for its Infinity range.

FTTC is a hybrid of ADSL and fibre optic technology, with the telephone cabinets in residential streets connected via underground cable, whilst consumer properties will still use copper wiring for the final connection.

For the time being, Eclipse will be packaging its FTTC services in order to appeal to business customers, although there is a high possibility that retail consumers will be able to take advantage of the bundles at a lower price point in the future.

Eclipse’s director Clodagh Murphy said that his firm was taking steps to bring next generation broadband technology to as many of its customers as possible. Mr Murphy said that business customers would be able to run VoIP and video conferencing services with ease and also suggested that setting up VPN connectivity for remote working would be possible for smaller businesses.

The two packages on offer, Eclipse Fibre and Eclipse Fibre Pro, will both have a maximum download speed of 40Mbps, although the Pro version will have a 10Mbps maximum upload speeds as opposed to the 2Mbps offered with the cheaper deal.

There will be an installation fee of £75 to cover, but Eclipse is going out on a limb and guaranteeing its customers a minimum download speed of 12Mbps, which is refreshing.

Simple Broadband’s Communication Manager Simon Gerrard commented “Eclipse Internet is offering a compelling reason to compare business broadband packages, particularly if an enterprise is being restricted by the speed of its current connection.”

TalkTalk could begin bundling in home phone, mobile phone and subscription TV services with its future broadband packages according to reports.

With four services included in a single monthly bill, TalkTalk would be competing directly with Virgin Media, which also offers quadruple deals. Virgin Media does, however, have the availability of cheap cable broadband on its side, but TalkTalk would be able to reach a wider audience with its proposed services.

It looks as though TalkTalk will being instigating its new plans for extensive broadband bundles once it has completely decoupled from The Carphone Warehouse, which will cease to own the provider as of the 29th of March this year.

With over four million broadband and home phone customers in the UK, TalkTalk is one of the most significant players in the market and it will probably be able to convert many of its existing customers over to its 4 way bundles when they arrive later in the year. At this time there is no official news as to what types of mobile phone packages might be made available, although they are certain to be competitive.

TalkTalk is busy on Project Canvas, which is its own attempt to unify and standardise the provision of digital television and catchup services via broadband connections. This could see it offering popular services such as the BBC iPlayer in the future.

The one barrier that TalkTalk faces when it comes to digital TV via broadband will be getting hold of commercial content. Subscription TV from Virgin Media and Sky is already established in this area and these firms could be unwilling to offer TalkTalk a slice of the action although the lure of a cheap cable broadband subscriber base may help.

Simple Broadband’s Communication Manager Simon Gerrard added “When TalkTalk brings its broadband bundles to the market, it could quickly win itself many new customers who are looking for a unified deal.”

Virgin Media is believed to be in the process of rethinking its marketing strategies in order to reach a wider audience and to encourage more people to look at its high speed fibre optic broadband deals rather than focusing on BT broadband options instead.

Advertising industry experts at Marketing Week revealed that Virgin Media has talked to the firms that run its many different campaigns and has challenged them to create a new selection of marketing options in order to bolster the public profile of cable broadband.

Broadening the appeal of broadband and making people more aware of the differences between ADSL and cable connections is a sensible idea, particularly now that BT is offering its own Infinity service, which some might assume is essentially the same as the Virgin Media offering, although this is not, in fact, the case.

Along with new ad campaigns, Virgin Media is also likely to overhaul its current line up of broadband deals, although how it will go about this remains unknown. It could well choose to focus on bringing 50Mbps deals down in price, making them more attractive to a wider audience, as the benefits of high download speeds and more consistent connections are key that Virgin Media is slightly underplaying compared to its rivals.

Virgin Media continues to innovate in its offering of broadband bundles that include home phone, digital TV and even mobile service provision along with cable connectivity. Perhaps it will focus on communicating just how convenient this type of bundle offering can be, particularly if value for money is of greater concern than download speeds and monthly data allowances to consumers.

Simple Broadband’s Simon Gerrard said “Virgin Media has always created some interesting advertisements, but perhaps it should take a leaf from Virgin Airlines and follow the classic mantra of ’sex sells’ to drag consumers away from BT broadband options.”

The changes that are currently afoot in the home broadband market are set to alter the face of the industry as we know it. Whilst it appears that landline customers are going to experience a rise in the cost of their services, people who opt for bundle deals will be getting a better price for their connections.

Starting in April, BT is altering the definitions of off-peak for its inclusive call package users, moving the start time in the evenings from 6pm to 7pm. However, according to a report from Simplydigital.co.uk there is a chance that BT broadband deals will be getting cheaper after O2 launches its own home broadband and phone service bundle, undercutting rivals on price.

O2 is going to combine the price of line rental and broadband into a one-off payment that will cost customers £17 each month on a 12 month contract. Considering that Virgin Media is putting up the cost of its line rental, people who had given up on ADSL broadband and moved to cable could well be switching back to save cash.

Not every consumer will be looking for value above all else in their home broadband packages and speed has recently proven to be an increasingly important factor as fibre optic broadband connections become more widely available.

In 2010 it seems as if there is a push within the telecoms industry to encourage consumers to put all of their eggs into one basket and sign on for multiple services from the same firm. Since the majority of broadband customers also require home phone and digital television in some form, it makes sense to save money and commit to a package.

Simple Broadband’s Communications Manager Simon Gerrard said “It is advisable to save money by opting for BT broadband deals with multiple services bundled together, although price comparison is more important than ever.”