Broadband plays an essential role in communications. It is now used by numerous residential and business users to keep in touch, access
information and run businesses. Broadband now reaches the greater part of households and businesses in the UK and this has been replicated in widespread take-up. Meanwhile, competition has seen providers distinguishing their service offerings in terms of reliability, price, speed, quality and product bundles. A prosperous retail market is though dependent on a competitive wholesale broadband market or regulation, where competition is not yet enough.

As wholesale broadband bandwidth has become cheaper due to latest technological advances, the prices for provision of DSL bandwidth have also decreased. Making comparisons between products of wholesale broadband market is becoming difficult for customers and therefore, well-informed decisions about appropriate products have become a vital concern.

Wholesale broadband market is currently restricted to ADSL via telephony communications of BT. Only BT is grateful to provide access to its network and main cable operators. NTL and Telewest are not deemed to be nationally dominant and able to act independently of the market.

Wholesale Broadband Solutions (WBS) are an array of broadband services that allow providers that do not want to invest in wide-ranging network infrastructure to offer end-users a branded Internet product.

The key benefits of WBS for a service provider consist of:

- No need to build wide network
- Absolute Access to dependable, proven technology
- Low operating costs
- No sunk technology costs
- No large capital conditions

Ofcoms analysis of the wholesale broadband access market has revealed that competition is growing at different rates across the UK. In the mainstream of the UK, consumers have an access to at least four wholesale broadband providers. But, in some areas, competition has not yet emerged and consumers only have access to one wholesale provider. Let us take a snapshot of some of the big names in the UK wholesale broadband market;

BT Group

It is one of the prominent providers of communication solutions in the world that operate in more than 170 countries and have one of the largest IP networks. Besides being the leading telecommunications provider in the UK, BT is also the most prominent broadband internet supplier in the country. The company offers both retail and wholesale broadband solutions.

Tiscali

Tiscali started structuring their LLU network in 2005, backed by their acquisition of HomeChoice. Tiscali wholesale offers resellers access to
their network and focus appears to be on improving coverage of their triple-play services including Tiscali TV.

Plusnet

It is an Internet Service Provider based in Sheffield, United Kingdom and owned as of January 30 2007 by the BT Group. It also operates the Metronet brand in the UK Internet market. Plusnet operates, and has operated in the past, a number of “Virtual ISP” brands. These different brands use the accessible Plusnet Network and Software infrastructure.

Ntl:Telewest

Ntl:Telewest business is also one of the leading communications providers in the UK. They are in constant interaction with other telecoms operators, both nationally and internationally, both in a physical interconnection and in a business capacity (pricing, commercial agreements legal issues and general negotiations)

Network and computer support technicians are more and more in demand in the United Kingdom, as organisations rely heavily upon their
knowledge and skills. Because we become progressively dependent on technology, we simultaneously find ourselves increasingly more reliant
upon the skilled and qualified network engineers, who keep the systems going.

Don’t accept anything less than accredited simulation materials and an exam preparation system as part of your course package. Confirm that
the mock exams are not only asking questions in the right areas, but ask them in the same way that the proper exam will ask them. It completely unsettles trainees if the questions are phrased in unfamiliar formats. ‘Mock’ or practice exams are invaluable for confidence building – so when it comes to taking your actual exams, you will be much more relaxed.

So, why ought we to be looking at commercial qualifications instead of more traditional academic qualifications gained through schools, colleges or universities? As demand increases for knowledge about more and more complex technology, the IT sector has of necessity moved to the specialised training that the vendors themselves supply – in other words companies like Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. Frequently this is at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. Essentially, only that which is required is learned. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but principally the objective has to be to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (including a degree of required background) – without attempting to cover a bit about every other area (as academia often does).

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty: Accredited IT qualifications provide exactly what an employer needs – everything they need to know is in the title: i.e. I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network’. Therefore an employer can look at their needs and what certifications are required to fulfil that.

Talk to a specialised advisor and they can normally tell you many awful tales of students who’ve been sold completely the wrong course for them. Stick to an experienced industry advisor who quizzes you to find out what’s appropriate to you – not for their pay-packet! You must establish the right starting point of study for you. Quite often, the starting point of study for a person with a little experience is often hugely different to someone without. Starting with a user skills program first is often the best way to start into your IT program, depending on your skill level at the moment.

A ridiculously large number of organisations are all about the certification, and completely miss what you actually need – which is a commercial career or job. Always begin with the end in mind – too many people focus on the journey. Never let yourself become part of that group who set off on a track which looks like it could be fun – and end up with a certification for an unrewarding career path.

You’ll want to understand the expectations of your industry. Which precise exams they will want you to have and how you’ll go about getting some commercial experience. It’s also worth spending time setting guidelines as to how far you think you’ll want to go as it will force you to choose a particular set of exams. Before setting out on a study program, it makes sense to chat over specific job requirements with a skilled advisor, in order to be sure the retraining programme covers all the necessary elements.