It has been revealed that an incident with a third-party contractor has seriously damaged part of the BT broadband network in East London. As a consequence, many broadband customers have been without their Internet link for a couple of days and while BT is urgently trying to re-connect customers in the area, there are problems.
The tunnel which holds the wires that have been damaged is a full 32 m underground and it will take at least a couple of days for the system to be fully repaired and back in working order. Slowly, some broadband customers in the region are being reconnected but the company is unable to give a definitive timescale for resolving the issue in full. This further highlights the growing dependence we all have upon the Internet and broadband networks across UK – and the problems this can cause when networks are damaged.
While there is no doubt that some short-term damage to the reputation of British Telecom is inevitable, the fact is that the UK as a whole has a very clean and impressive track record with regards to broadband connectivity. There have been, and there will continue to be, sporadic issues of connection problems although, on the whole, broadband services throughout the UK have improved dramatically over the last few years. Backup systems such as mobile broadband have also come into play and offer further support for those who depend on the Internet for their business and social activities.