Hot on the heels of the BBC's announcement that some of their TV channels will be streamed live on the internet, starting later this year, there are concerns about the broadband network of the UK. When you consider that the increased popularity of YouTube and the introduction of the BBC iPlayer were already causing the industry much concern, how will broadband services cope with the expected move to live TV on the internet?
A number of broadband service providers have been calling for the likes of the BBC and YouTube to contribute to the extra cost of supplying broadband services to the UK population. This situation has been highlighted by BT's recent request to the regulator to increase the amount it is able to charge for wholesale broadband. As the online TV sites join the party later in the year this can only increase pressure on the system.
One problem which the UK broadband markets does not yet seem to have overcome is the replacement of old style copper telephone lines with more efficient fibre optic cables, which are able to carry much more data. This program of upgrading the telephone system in the UK is ongoing but requires literally billions of pounds to complete. Guess who will pay in the end?