This week's new has focused on two key developments in technology - both of which seem to have left some people elated and raring to go, whilst others rant over the growth of inequality in approaches being taken both to the new superfast 4G connections, and the development of new and improved mobile handsets.
- Everything Everywhere - or EE as its now been branded, is a partnership between Orange and T-Mobile who have been licensed to deliver the first 4G service in this country. They unveiled plans for a service initially covering 16 UK cities
- Apple launched the new iPhone 5 with taller, slimmer, faster as the key changes to its overall design, and also with better camera, mapping and voice activated features. And, importantly for UK customers, ready to go on the new EE 4G network.
Healthy competition? Unfair competitive advantage being endorsed by Governments? Let's leave the lawyers and courts earning lots of money to sort that side out shall we!
But in the meantime here in the rural South West what does it matter? The nearest city in the inital 4G roll-out is Bristol. We know the remaining roll-out will be stimulated by market demands and therefore will follow the lines of all previous upgrades in connectivity - leaving remote, rural communities with the lowest chance of accessing these services.
And yet we also know that businesses, community groups and individuals living and working in rural areas also stand to benefit most from significantly increased connection speeds. In fact some research has suggested that the installation of top class connections could be the single most important factor in improving the rural economy over the next 10 years.