Many of us take for granted a reliable internet connection and expect our service to be able to support our daily life tasks, from working from home to watching your favourite shows via streaming services to online gaming.
However, if you live in a rural location there is a high chance you have a slower service, or in some instances, no internet services available in your area. This became more prevalent in the pandemic, when people were asked to work from home, while most employees seamlessly transitioned to home working, those in rural areas struggled, highlighting the need for a better infrastructure. 
Why are rural areas impacted by slow internet:
The main issue is a lack of infrastructure across these areas and limited broadband provider options. Most internet service providers install their own infrastructure and equipment to provide rural communities with faster, more secure, and reliable connections, but only if it is considered financially viable and that they will see a return on investment. Some areas are just deemed ‘too expensive’ to reach. This limits smaller communities who may only have one or two suppliers in the area, or worst case, no suppliers, if your location is considered too rural.
In urban areas across the UK, most residential connections are FTTC (Fibre to the cabinet), which will soon be superseded by SoGEA (Single order Generic Ethernet Access).
In 2015 BT announced they will be switching off their ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and PSTN (The Public Switched Telephone Network) services completely in 2025, which are essentially copper based lines which have become too costly to maintain. This will result in traditional landline connections ceasing and voice calls in the future needing to be made over IP.
FTTC lines connect your premises via copper wires to a street cabinet where fibre optic cables then connect it to the rest of the network. This causes issues across many rural locations, as the further away your property is from the cabinet, the slower your internet speeds. In some extremely rural settings including farmland, your internet provider may have only given you the option for an ADSL line, these lines can be extremely slow, as the signal is sent over a copper phone line all the way back to the telephone exchange, this is normally a result of your property being identified as too far away from the nearest cabinet for FTTC / SoGEA services to work. 
What options do you have?
As previously mentioned, ADSL, SoGEA connections could be available, but you may not get the speeds you want or require, it is worth discussing options with your chosen internet provider before you commit.
Wireless fibre (WiMAX)
One of the main solutions available is a wireless fibre (WiMAX) service, which can be delivered through a variety of technologies. VFast’s fixed wireless access network utilises a variety of radio technologies to provide point to point links across a variety of distances, using a mixture of free to use and licensed technologies
Wireless Fibre differs from standard solutions as it is a type of internet connection which doesn’t require a physical connection to deliver data, such as a copper cable or phone line.
At VFast we have created and managed a unique Wireless Fibre (WiMAX) service which provides customers based in rural locations a connectivity solution where no one else can provide it.
Fast - AirFibre (WiMAX)
AirFibre is our own product; you get a Vfast service, installed by Vfast engineers with an expert Vfast support team behind you. This service is available where we can get line of site from your premises to one of our wireless repeater sites, which gets you connected to our network. Our engineers will do a site survey to confirm line of site and what speeds can be achieved. The speeds we offer can exceed the traditional suppliers' offerings many times over in rural areas.
Our wireless fibre solution covers rural areas that other providers can’t. We cover around 90% of Kent, so even if you live miles from your nearest exchange, we might still get you superfast broadband.
Mobile broadband
Mobile broadband requires a good mobile phone reception, as it runs on the same 4G and 5G networks as your phone. It is accessed via a MiFi device, data sim, wireless router, or a dongle. As it eliminates the need for a cable or fibre connection, it can work in some rural locations, but as stated, this will be dependent on your phone reception.
Satellite broadband
Satellite broadband is supplied through a satellite dish, but you will need a clear line of site for the best service, and installation can be expensive.
What makes VFast different?
Vfast Internet is one of the UK's fastest growing internet service providers, offering Wireless broadband, FTTC & FTTH and Talk packages.
Our network was built from the ground up to be one of the fastest, best connected networks in the UK.
Over the years, not only have we have upgraded and expanded our wireless network, but also invested heavily in installing our own equipment in telephone exchanges. This allows us to offer high speed internet over traditional phone lines, but with a lower contention ratio than other 'big name' suppliers.
We are already supporting several rural villages with our Fibre network, so households can get superfast broadband straight to their premises - making working from a home an absolute breeze. Some of the Villages we have helped so far include Barham, Woolage (Canterbury), Womenswold, Monkton and Snowdown.
Your next steps:
If you live in a rural location and are having difficulty finding a supplier who can provide you with the connection you need, contact the VFast team. We will provide you with a no-obligation consultation to identify which services are available in your area and whether our AirFibre could be a solution.
Contact us on 01227 668901 or email sales@vfast.co.uk