Improving the internet will improve the lives of people in rural Wales

With the roll-out of 5G ready to be implemented in Wales, it could be a turning point for many people in terms of connectivity.

Currently, almost 9% of rural areas in Great Britain have limited access to the internet at home or on the move. This is set to change, with 5G masts being installed across Wales to bring faster internet to mobile phones, and a UK government pledge to ensure that all homes are equipped with fibre broadband by 2025. This may feel slightly ambitious, however, as the UK is currently lagging behind when it comes to connectivity. In Portugal, 80% of homes currently have fibre broadband, compared with just 8% in the UK.

Faster broadband will mean that many new homes will now have access to online services. With the internet being considered an essential utility, faster broadband may level the playing field for education and career advancement, allowing businesses, households, and especially young people to have resources that allow them the same opportunities as their peers.

Faster broadband isn’t just about opportunity, it is also about leisure. Speedy broadband and 5G connectivity would allow people to have more access to simple entertainment needs. Before they took matters into their own hands, residents in Michaelston-y-Fedw had internet so slow that it took more than two hours to download a film, which would have taken just seconds with fibre optic broadband.

For those without the above, relying on mobile networks is often a good way to get connectivity. Networks tend to be faster, and most online pages have already been optimised for mobile browsing in order to cater to this target audience. For instance, BonusFinder points out that online casinos make their games, such as Pots of Luck for this reason, accessible on both desktops and smartphones. Friendly mobile user experience is at the heart of the slot. Another example is the popular Fruit Ninja series, which started as a mobile game.

The residents of Michaelston-y-Fedw are now enjoying the fruits of their labour. With the new broadband even making the weekly stock order at the pub more efficient. Speaking to the Guardian in 2019, pub landlord Ben Longman confessed that it would take him an hour and a half just to complete a stock order due to the slow internet. Now, he has more time to spend with staff and customers, as his order takes less than half the time.

Internet accessibility is quickly taken for granted when it is available. 5G is making it possible for even the most rural and remote areas of Wales to now develop this attitude towards online connectivity. The first positive results have already been visible in Michaelston-y-Fedw. Seeing that the internet making many people’s day-to-day life easier, it is better to start sooner rather than later in order to achieve full connectivity in Wales. Even if it’s just to play a game or download a film – the internet of the 21st century should be able to provide both.