
We have 2.75m home businesses in the UK today. The estimated economic contribution of these home businesses, based on Gross Value Added, is ?94bn. But the impact this could have on growth and enterprise is a story that goes untold.?Flexible, cost-effective options for entrepreneurs, as well as the rise of social media, have revolutionised the home business economy.?It has never been easier to showcase your product and engage with consumers as it has since the launch of Facebook and Twitter. Keeping track of your checks and balances has been made simpler with the growth of sites such as Xero. Add to this the ease with which products can be sold on the likes of Etsy or Amazon.
Yet?none of this happens without a decent Internet connection. The frustration felt by us all when we see an email struggling to make its way out of the outbox is a fraction of the difficulty that poor broadband can cause in a business. We cannot continue to ignore the great importance of broadband speeds to home businesses, as we risk jeopardising a lively engine of the UK economy. There have been steps taken in the right direction. The government pledged ?1.7bn of investment in the next stage of its programme to bring superfast connections to 95 per cent of households by 2017. However, these large-scale projects are arduous work, and we would do better to enable the smaller, more nimble providers. Just take a look at what fibre broadband provider Gigaclear wishes to accomplish???it announced a ?50m investment in rural networks. This was a bold statement of the value of providing high-speed Internet to the far-flung corners of the UK, and one that should be?encouraged. We need to create a competitive ecosystem of providers and networks across the UK. The debate currently circling BT?s Openreach division shows the nature of the problem. We are stuck with out-dated systems of delivery that do not satisfy customers. Ofcom estimates that a fifth of small businesses will be unable to access superfast broadband by 2017. This will hamper growth and innovation nationwide. We need a broadband plan that genuinely reflects the vibrancy and diversity of our?economy, especially the dynamic entrepreneurs that have chosen to set up at home. We have a great opportunity on our hands: entrepreneurship and home businesses are thriving nationwide. Without ensuring universal access to high-speed broadband we risk squandering this opportunity. Simon Burckhardt?is managing director?of?Vonage UK.Share this story