Will Soho businesses be impressed by terms like ‘next generation reliability’?
Vodafone has launched a fibre to the premises (FTTP) broadband service for small office/home office (SoHo) businesses who typically have fewer than ten employees. It is promising speeds starting at 100 Mbps through ‘full fibre’, which bypasses traditional street cabinets and copper wires and allows consumers to connect without a traditional phone line. This means businesses will not be affected by the shutdown of ISDN and PSTN phone lines in 2025.
User confusion
Vodafone claims SoHo businesses will get ‘Superfast connectivity’ because it can exceed the download and upload speeds of traditional copper broadband. It claims it can guarantee painless video conferencing, smooth buffering and clear audio.
Next generation nonsense
It also claims to offer an undefined entity called Next Generation Reliability, which apparently offers ‘complete connectivity peace of mind’. The wireless technology comes with Free installation, with no upfront costs. The third pillar of this new platform is a promise of ‘Fast and Simple switching’, with Vodafone offering support from its dedicated team of business experts. The fourth pillar of the business platform is a Future-proof infrastructure, with full support for next generation voice – without the need of a phone line.
Ofcom’s projections
Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2021 report estimated that gigabit-scale coverage should have reached at least 60 per cent of the UK by now. Full-fibre broadband from Vodafone now covers 26 UK towns and cities. In the coming months Vodafone’s partnerships with CityFibre and Openreach should push that coverage to 35 British municipalities.
Soho has gone online
“Small businesses operate in an environment where virtual meetings, hybrid working and online commerce are the norm,” said Andrew Stevens, head of Vodafone’s UK small and medium business division. “People are now more likely to engage with a typical small business online than they are in real life, and business owners need to know they can stay connected with remote teams to serve their customers and keep everything running smoothly.”
Vodafone made the switch easy
“We’ve made it really simple to switch to superfast full fibre,” said Stevens, “with no upfront installation costs – perfect for today’s busy SoHo businesses who want to prioritise productivity and growth post-pandemic.”
There is more abut broadband packages for small businesses here.